Why I love this penne arrabiatta recipe
Things have been so crazy around here lately. Between the playoffs, hockey season ending and Marc getting the flu – and now I’m sick too – it’s been a weird week and not much cooking has been happening.
A few weeks ago, I whipped up this penne arrabbiata recipe when I needed something quick to make. I was craving pasta and spice and – luckily – we had an extra bell pepper in the fridge. I’m not sure if the bell pepper is supposed to be in a traditional arrabbiata sauce, but I really like the extra flavor it adds.
Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → 
How to make penne arrabbiata
Cook the pasta to al dente in a large pot of salted water. You’ll want to get this started before you start the sauce because the sauce cooks so quickly.
If your pasta is done too early, toss with a tiny bit of olive oil to keep it from sticking together.
Simmer the vegetables. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic, peppers, crushed red peppers, and onion. Sauté them until the onions are soft and translucent. It should take about 5 minutes or so.
Add the tomatoes and spices, and let the sauce come to a simmer. Stir as needed to prevent the tomatoes from bubbling, and adjust the seasoning with salt & pepper, if needed. Simmer until the pasta is cooked and the peppers and onions are fully soft.
Toss the pasta with arrabiata sauce. Add the pasta to the large skillet and stir until it’s evenly coated in the sauce. Serve immediately.
Serving suggestions: fresh basil, vegan parmesan cheese (or seasoned, toasted breadcrumbs), extra crushed red peppers for those who like it really spicy.
FAQ’s and tips for making arrabiata sauce
Marinara sauce is an Italian flavored tomato based sauce just like arrabiata sauce, but the biggest difference is that the arrabiata sauce contains red chile peppers or red pepper flakes to make it spicy. Arrabiata in Italian translates to angry, so you’re making an angry (spicy) sauce.
Bring a large pot of water to a full rolling boil and then add in your pasta. Add salt to taste if desired. Let the pasta boil for about 11 minutes, until al dente, stirring gently every so often to avoid sticking. Remove from heat, drain, and serve with sauce.
You can freeze your leftover pasta and sauce. Just keep it in an airtight container for up to 3 months and then when you’re ready to eat it, take it out and place in the fridge to thaw. Reheat on the stove or move it to a baking dish and cook until warm.
Yes you can, in fact many people truly love the way that this sauce and pasta pairs well with chicken and cod fish! So there are a ton of options out there to choose from besides ground beef.
More pasta recipes you’ll enjoy
- Old Bay Shrimp Scampi Linguine
- Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad
- Pasta Carbonara
- Cilantro Peanut Pesto Pasta
Other vegan/meatless dinner recipes to try
- Autumn Squash Soup
- Zucchini Risotto
- Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
- Meatless Meatball and Vegetable Skillet
- Thai Style Chickpea and Potato Curry
Penne Arrabbiata
Ingredients
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 15- ounce cans crushed tomatoes, or 1 28-ounce can
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil to medium-high.
- Saute bell pepper, onion, garlic and crushed red pepper for 10 minutes or until peppers are soft.
- Add the tomatoes, basil, parsley and salt.
- Reduce heat to medium and simmer sauce for about 10 minutes (or until pasta is cooked).
- Toss pasta with sauce and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
All recipes are superb. Healthy and easy to make it. Really loved it. Without using artificial flavours, it makes really tasty. And your way of describing also very good.