Kick up your pasta game with Valerie Bertenelli’s Spicy Arrabiata Pasta – a tantalizing blend of tomatoes, garlic, and red pepper flakes for a fiery flavor experience. This easy recipe creates a bold and satisfying meal that will spice up your dinner table.

This spicy Arrabiata Penne is the perfect dish to make any night of the week. It’s quick, easy, and delicious! You can serve it with some crusty bread and a green salad for an easy dinner that will please everyone in your family. Or you can take this dish to your next potluck or party – people are sure to love it!

What is Arrabiata?

If you are an angry Italian, then you know just what that word means, but what it really refers to is to the spiciness of red chili peppers. Arrabiata sauce is a spicy Italian sauce – an angry sauce at that. Valerie’s spicy sauce recipe contains ½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper (hence the arrabbiata) – just enough to give it a little kick.

Let’s take a look at how it is to make this pasta dinner.

Ingredients

For this spicy Italian dish, you need the following ingredients:

16 ounces uncooked penne rigate
¼ cup olive oil (I like to use Virgin Olive Oil)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 26.46–ounce package of chopped tomatoes (such as Pomi)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish
Shaved fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for garnish

Pasta, tomatoes, garlic, and seasonings.

How To Make Arrabiata

Step 1: You begin by bringing a large pot of water to a boil. (It helps to add salt to the pot.) Add the pasta and cook it according to the directions on the package. Drain the pasta and reserve 1 cup of the cooking water.

Step 2: Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Add the garlic; cook, stirring often, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.

Next, add the tomatoes, salt, crushed red pepper, Italian seasoning, and black pepper. Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes. Remove it from the heat, and stir in the ¼ cup chopped basil.

Step 3: Stir the cooked pasta and reserved pasta water into the tomato mixture. Garnish with the Parmigiano-Reggiano and additional basil, if desired, and serve warm.

Plate of arrabiata pasta garnished with basil.

Tip

If you have an aversion to spicy foods, cut it in half to ¼ teaspoon. If you love spicy foods, add more at your own risk.

FAQ – What Kind Of Pasta Is Used in Pasta Arrabiata?

This recipe calls for penne rigate, which is a ridged tube-shaped pasta. If you cannot find it, you can substitute any tube-shaped pasta like rigatoni or ziti.

If you like pasta, be sure to check out our delicious recipes for cheesy lasagna, Chick-Fil-A Macaroni and Cheese (copycat), and lasagna soup.

Valerie’s Home Cooking is a beautiful, full-color book by actress and Foodnetwork star Valerie Bertinelli. There are more than 100 recipes, each with a story. The chapters are simply divided into the following sections:

Rise & Shine
Getting Through the Day
Happy Hour
Around the Table
A Side Note
Finishing Sweet

Valerie’s recipes are easy to replicate at home and are suitable for sharing with friends and family. Flipping through the pages, you will be enticed by mouth-watering photographs that are included with each recipe.

Freshly made bread — White Bread (page 214)

Valerie takes on classic recipes and adds her spin, such as Dutch Baby with Lemon Curd and Tuna Noodle Casserole with Potato Chip Topping. She includes several dessert recipes for those who have a sweet tooth – be sure to check out her Chocolate Peppermint Ice-Cream Sandwiches and Neapolitan Tacos.

If your goal is to eat more plant-based foods, then her recipes for Roasted Radishes, Roasted Asparagus and Mushrooms with Chile-Lemon Salt, and Vegetarian Minestrone will be right down your alley.