The world is full of fantsastic pasta sauces! Some might be rich and slow cooked, like the ragu in my lasagna. Some might be quick and light, like my sausage and fennel rigatoni. This arrabbiata recipe is more the latter, very quick and simple! This recipe only takes 6 ingredients and 20 minutes to pull together, but leaves nothing on the table when it comes to flavour.

The History and Culture of Arrabbiata

Arrabbiata sauce comes from the Lazio region of Italy, specifically from Rome. Rome is famous for some of the most iconic pasta dishes out there! Think carbonara, cacio e pepe, alla gricia and amatriciana. These dishes make common use of either guanciale or pecorino cheese for their flavour and texture. This dish, however, focuses on the heat from chilli flakes.

Rumour has it that the dish originated around the beginning of the 20th century in a Roman restaurant. At this time, spicy food was becoming quite popular in Italian cuisine. The word arrabbiata itself literally translates to angry in Italian. While the word has become mostly synonyous with this dish, it is also used as a general descriptor for spicy and garlic heavy food.

Like many of the best dishes from Italy, pasta all’arrabbiata is incredibly simple. It relies on good quality ingredients that can really speak for themselves. This makes it a great jumping off point to experiment and make the dish your own!

My Arrabbiata Pasta Recipe

My recipe does diverge ever so slightly from the traditional one. Both mine and the traditional mainly involve tomatoes, garlic and chilli. Mine however makes use of basil, rather than the traditional parsley. In my opinion, there is nothing quite like the combination of basil and tomato in Italian cooking! Similarly, traditional recipes normally use penne as the pasta option. I use rigatoni simply out of personal preference. I love having a larger and more robust pasta shape that still holds that sauce really well.

One tip that I would give to anyone looking to make this is to not waste the basil stalks. The leaves are obviously what you will want for a fresh garnish at the end, however the stalks have plenty of flavour! To get the most out of these, I gently fry the stalks in the olive oil before cooking anything else. This allows the flavour and aromaticism from the herbs to almost infuse into the oil. This technique gives a really lovey and subtle flavour foundation that can elevate this dish into something even more special.

Pasta All’Arrabbiata, Easy 20 minute Pasta!

A spicy, flavour packed arrabbiata pasta recipe that comes together in 20 minutes! Perfect for quick week-night dinners and special data-night treats alike!

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Prep Time 3 minutes mins

Cook Time 17 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Servings: 2 people

Course: Main Course, Pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 1 tin Chopped Tomatoes
• 2 tbsp Tomato Puree
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 2 tsp Chilli Flakes
• 3 stalks Fresh Basil
• 150 g Rigatoni Or other pasta of choice
• Salt & Pepper To taste
• Parmesan To taste

Method

 

1. Peel and finely chop your garlic.
2. Bring a frying pan up to medium heat and add extra virgin olive oil.
3. Remove the basil leaves from the stalks and add the stalks to the pan. Fry gently for 2 minutes and remove from the oil.
4. Add the garlic and chilli flakes to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, until softening and fragrant.
5. Add in the tomto puree and cook for a further 2 minutes, until the oils start to separate.
6. Pour in the chopped tomatoes, mix well and leave to simmer.
7. Get your pasta on to boil. Cook for 2 minutes less than the packet instructions.
8. Add a spoonful of pasta water to the sauce and drain the pasta. Add the pasta in and cook for the final 2 minutes in the sauce.
9. Garnish with your basil leaves and cheese and serve!