Description
Pasta Arrabbiata is a classic Italian dish featuring a spicy tomato sauce made with garlic, chili peppers, and fresh herbs, served over perfectly cooked pasta.
Ingredients
Scale
- ½ medium onion (finely chopped)
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves (crushed or minced)
- 1 fresh cayenne chili pepper (chopped, seeds removed if less heat desired)
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomato
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 6–8 basil leaves (chopped)
- 8–12 ounces pasta of choice
- Freshly grated Parmigiano cheese
- Additional chopped basil or parsley
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large heavy-duty skillet over medium-high heat. Add the finely chopped onion and cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes until the onion turns golden on the edges. Add the crushed garlic, chopped cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes. Sauté for 30 seconds or until the edges of the garlic begin to turn golden. Then pour in the crushed tomatoes and season generously with salt and black pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat to low, partially cover with a lid, and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes to develop flavors.
- While the sauce simmers, fill a large pot about two-thirds full with water and generously salt it. Add your choice of pasta and cook until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve about 1 cup of the starchy pasta cooking water before draining the pasta.
- Transfer the drained pasta into the skillet with the Arrabbiata sauce. Pour in ½ cup of the reserved pasta water to help the sauce coat the pasta evenly. Add the chopped basil leaves. Increase the heat slightly and toss everything together for 2-3 minutes so the pasta absorbs the spicy sauce and flavors meld beautifully.
- Remove the skillet from heat and divide the pasta among serving bowls. Garnish with additional chopped basil or parsley and freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired. Serve immediately and enjoy your spicy, aromatic Pasta Arrabbiata!
Notes
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 55 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 5 mg
Keywords: Spicy Pasta Arrabbiata, Italian pasta, spicy tomato sauce