Arrabbiata sauce
30 min · 2 g protein · 58 cals / serving
Rome's 'angry' sauce: plenty of garlic and red chilli sizzled in olive oil, then simmered with tomatoes into a bright, fiery, garlicky sauce that clings to penne. Fresh chilli for the sharp heat, dried flakes for the slow burn, and a shower of parsley at the end. Twenty minutes, pantry ingredients, and more flavour than a sauce this simple has any right to.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1–2 fresh red chillies red chili pepper, finely chopped
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes, more or less to taste
- 2 cans (28 oz) whole canned tomatoes, crushed by hand
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Steps
- Warm the oil in a wide pan over medium-low heat with the garlic, fresh chilli and pepper flakes. Let them sizzle gently for 2–3 minutes, until the garlic is pale gold and the oil is red and fragrant; do not let the garlic brown.
- Add the tomatoes and salt, turn up the heat and bring to a lively simmer. Cook 18–20 minutes, stirring now and then, until thick and glossy.
- Stir in most of the parsley and taste for salt and heat. Toss with hot pasta and a splash of its cooking water, and scatter the rest of the parsley on top.
Good to know
How much pasta does this sauce?
About 14 oz of dry penne for four to six people. Cook the pasta a minute short of done, then finish it in the sauce with a few spoons of the pasta water so the sauce clings.
Parmesan?
Traditional arrabbiata is served without cheese, with the heat and garlic as the stars. A light grating of pecorino or parmesan is a common, delicious addition.
Make it ahead
It keeps 5 days in the fridge and freezes well; the chilli heat gets a little stronger overnight.
Alternative
Can't fill you up alone — pair it with protein.
Per
- Calories
- 49
- Protein
- (11%)
- 1 g
- Fat
- (44%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (46%)
- 6 g
- of which sugar
- 3 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 291 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 348 kcal goes into the pot and 864 g of ingredients comes out as about 710 g of food: 49 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.