Spicy tomato sauce made with simple ingredients coats every pasta perfectly. Get ready to feast on this rigatoni arrabbiata from stove to table in under 30 minutes!
Originally from the Lazio region of Italy [right in the middle of the boot, where Rome is], just like Bucatini Carbonara and Bucatini Pomodoro, this pasta sauce is a staple in all restaurants and most households.
Usually prepared using only extra virgin olive oil, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic cloves, whole San Marzano tomatoes, and any pasta of choice, rigatoni arrabbiata requires very little time and effort and can be modified to please any palate.
With a few amendments to make everyday life even easier, I hope you enjoy this arrabbiata sauce as much as we do!
And, if you have a little extra time, why don't you use some of your rigatoni to prepare rigatoni bolognese? If you have 20 minutes or less, try spaghetti alla puttanesca!
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💎 Why This Recipe Works
- Quick and Easy: This Rigatoni Arrabbiata recipe can be prepared from start to finish in under 30 minutes, making it perfect for busy weeknight dinners when you need a delicious meal in a hurry.
- Bursting with Flavor: The spicy tomato sauce is made with simple, high-quality ingredients like extra virgin olive oil, chili flakes, and fresh garlic, creating a rich and flavorful sauce that coats every rigatoni perfectly.
- Versatile and Customizable: While staying true to the traditional Italian flavors, this recipe offers room for customization. You can add onions for sweetness, adjust the heat level by varying the red pepper flakes, or even incorporate additional ingredients like Italian sausage or vegetables to suit your taste.
- Minimal Effort, Maximum Taste: Rigatoni arrabbiata proves that simplicity can be delicious with just a few simple steps and readily available ingredients. It's a testament to the idea that you can create restaurant-worthy dishes at home without fuss!
🛒 Ingredients
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Rich in flavor, perfect for enhancing any dish, from salads to pasta. If you have it, please use it.
- Onion: Not an ingredient that is traditionally used in pasta all'arrabbiata in Italy, but, as we are citizens of the world, onion is one of the best ingredients to add to most savory dishes. If you have one, slice it thinly and use it as a starting point for this spicy tomato sauce - there will be no regrets!
- Garlic: Two fresh cloves that will be kept whole while cooking the sauce and removed before adding the pasta. They will infuse a lovely flavor to this classic Italian pasta dish.
- Red Pepper Flakes: This is the one and only ingredient that offers heat to the recipe, and the only Italian spice used. Ensure they are fresh, as old or poorly stored red pepper flakes can lose strength and flavor.
- Tomato: For this recipe, I used a tin of chopped tomatoes. Cooked slowly, they offer the perfect base for this sauce.
- Parsley: Dry or fresh parsley; this is one delicious Italian herb!
- Pasta: Rigatoni have quite a wide central hole, which allows the pieces of tomato to get stuck in, making every bite delicious.
- Salt To Taste
- Sugar: This is OPTIONAL and is to be added to the sauce only if the tomato is too acidic. Half a teaspoon of white sugar should be plenty.
🔔 Be sure to check out the recipe card for all the ingredients and instructions you'll need to make this dish. Don't miss out on any of the details!
🔄 Substitutions and Variations
- Pasta: All short pasta types with a central hole will work well. There's this big debate rigatoni vs penne, but honestly, whatever pasta you have or like, go for it. Gluten-free pasta will make the whole dish free from gluten.
- Tomato: Any canned tomatoes will work well. Peeled plum tomatoes [like San Marzano] can also be used, as these can be roughly broken using a fork. If you prefer a smoother sauce, you can use plain passata sauce or tomato puree [we created a list of the best tomato puree substitutes, too!].
- Tomato Paste: If you find your canned tomatoes to be too watery, add some tomato paste to strengthen the flavor. This is made of concentrated peeled tomato without seeds.
- Meaty Version: Once the onion has softened, you can add some minced Italian sausage, diced ham hock, pancetta, meatballs, or a little ground beef. Rigatoni arrabbiata with chicken or shrimp works well, too!
- Extra Veggies: Roasted Mediterranean vegetables, olives, baby spinach, or a few mushrooms are good choices.
- Parmesan Cheese: Although this is the usual choice when topping pasta dishes, Parmesan cheese is not the only one. Pecorino Romano is very strong and balances well with the sweetness of the tomato. Roughly chopped fresh burrata adds freshness and sweetness, pairing well with the red pepper flakes. Mild cheddar cheese can transform this Italian dish into a great pasta bake.
👩🏻🍳 How to (step-by-step)
- Start preparing the sauce by adding some extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan or Dutch oven and heat up on medium-low heat.
- Next, add the thinly sliced onions, the peeled but whole garlic cloves, and a pinch of salt. [Picture 1]
- Mix the ingredients well and cook slowly. You will want the onions to turn transparent and soft without browning.
- Once done, add the red pepper flakes and mix, cooking for another minute. [Picture 2]
- Mix the canned chopped tomatoes with the onion mixture. [Picture 3]
- Add a cup of water, and bring the sauce to a light simmer. Put a lid on the saucepan, reduce the heat to low, and allow to simmer for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While the spicy tomato sauce is cooking, in a large pot of salted water, cook the rigatoni pasta as per the package directions, ensuring it remains al dente.
- Once the sauce is ready, remove the garlic cloves from the sauce. [Picture 4]
- As soon as the rigatoni are ready, drain them [quickly; you don't need to remove all the cooking water], and add them to the saucepan together with the dry or fresh parsley. [Picture 5]
- Mix the rigatoni into the sauce while keeping the pan on a low flame. [Picture 6]
- Serve the rigatoni arrabbiata while hot and enjoy with a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if liked!
🙋 People Also Ask [FAQs]
What Is The Meaning Of Arrabiata Sauce?
The word 'arrabbiata' means angry. This pasta dish got its name from its spiciness, as hot food makes people's faces turn red, just like when they are angry.
How To Spell Arrabbiata?
You will find it spelled arabiata, arrabiata, arabiatta, but the correct Italian way is with double 'r' and double 'b'.
Who Invented Arrabiata Pasta?
The exact historical origins of modern Arrabiata sauce are unclear, but it was refined in Rome during the 1920s by the skilled chef Antonio Cecchini. His restaurant, which was appropriately named "Le Arrabbiate," played a significant part in the development of this sauce.
💡 Expert Tips and Tricks
- Onion: This is not part of the strict traditional recipe, however, when cooked slowly, it adds a nice sweetness to this spicy sauce. Use any onions, however, yellow onions, shallots, and Tropea onions have that something extra.
- Herbs: You can add a handful of roughly chopped fresh basil leaves for a different twist, or a sprinkle of dried oregano!
- Tomatoes: San Marzano tomatoes are the ones the original recipe calls for. However, good quality tinned diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes work very well. The key is cooking them slowly, allowing all the herbs and spices to infuse them.
- Pasta: Cooking the pasta al dente, meaning that it still has a bite and some firmness to it, means that you have the time to mix it in the sauce on a low flame and not overcook it.
- Pasta Water: When draining the pasta, hold on to a few tablespoons of pasta water. Should you need it, you can add it to the mixture to add a bit of creaminess.
- Spice Level: You can add or decrease the amount of red pepper flakes to adjust to your taste. Fresh red chilies can be used, too.
❄️ Storing & Reheating
- Sauce Only: Store leftovers of the spicy sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Or freeze it for up to three months. Before serving, remove from the freezer and thaw overnight, and thoroughly reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
- With Pasta: It is best to serve pasta arrabbiata as soon as it is ready. However, leftover pasta can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for a day. To reheat, add the pasta to a saucepan and stir a few tablespoons of water through it. On low to medium heat, stir it frequently until thoroughly hot.
🍴 More Delicious Pasta Recipes
🍽️ Recipe
Super Easy and Tasty Rigatoni Arrabbiata
Ready in a handful of minutes, this pasta dish bursts with flavor and is a real crowd pleaser!
Ingredients
- 2 Tbps Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Small Onion any color, thinly sliced
- 2 Cloves of Garlic
- ½ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes adjust to taste
- 1 can Chopped Tomato
- 1 teaspoon Dry Parsley fresh if available
- 170 g Dry Rigatoni Pasta
- Salt To Taste
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or frying pan, add the extra virgin olive oil and heat up on a medium low heat.
- Once warm, add the thinly sliced onions, the peeled but whole cloves of garlic, and a pinch of salt.
- Mix the ingredients well and cook slowly, so as to soften the onion without browning it, stirring occasionally.
- Once the onions are transparent and soft [approx 5-7 minutes], add the red pepper flakes and mix, allowing these to cook for about a minute.
- Next, add the canned chopped tomatoes to the onion mixture and mix well.
- To the sauce, add a cup of water, mix well again, and bring the sauce to a light simmer. Put a lid on the saucepan, reduce the heat to low, and allow to simmer for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- In the meantime, in a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the rigatoni pasta as per the package directions, ensuring it remains al dente.
- Once the sauce is ready, remove the garlic cloves.
- As soon as the rigatoni are ready, drain them [quickly, you don't need to remove all the cooking water], and add them to the saucepan together with the parsley.
- Mix the pasta to the sauce while keeping the pan on a low flame.
- Serve the pasta while hot and enjoy!
Notes
- The pasta is best eaten freshly prepared, however, it can be stored in an airtight container for up to one day in the fridge. Fully reheat in a pan with a tablespoon of water, to bring some moisture back to the sauce.
- Adjust the dose of red pepper flakes used to taste.
- Any shape of pasta will work with this spicy tomato sauce, however short pasta with a central hole will hold on to the sauce better, especially the chunky pieces of tomato.
- Peeled plum tomatoes can be used instead of canned chopped tomatoes, and these can be broken in a bowl using a fork before adding to the saucepan.
- Should the sauce be too acidic, add half a teaspoon of sugar to it while it cooks, as this will balance it out.
- If you like the garlic in your sauce, you can either mash the cloves once the sauce is ready [they will be extra soft] and mix them back in, or chop them right at the beginning and leave them in.
- Sauce Only: Store the spicy sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days or freeze it for up to three months. Before serving, thoroughly reheat it.
- With Pasta: It is best to serve pasta arrabbiata as soon as it is ready. However, leftover pasta can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for a day. To reheat, add the pasta to a saucepan and stir a few tablespoons of water through it. On low to medium heat, stir it frequently until thoroughly hot.
Nutrition
Calories: 509kcalCarbohydrates: 78gProtein: 14gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gSodium: 310mgPotassium: 679mgFiber: 6gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 391IUVitamin C: 24mgCalcium: 102mgIron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Sara says
Ricetta Fantastica!
Elle says
Grazie, Sara! ?