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.
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.
How To Make Arrabiata
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 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
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.
What kind of pasta to use 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.
Spicy Arrabiata Penne
Ingredients
- 16 ounces uncooked penne rigate
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- 26.46 ounces chopped tomatoes such as Pomi
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 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
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook according to the package; drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
- 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. Add the tomatoes, salt, crushed red pepper, Italian seasoning, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, and cook 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the ¼ cup chopped basil.
- 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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
About Valerie’s Home Cooking: More than 100 Delicious Recipes to Share with Friends and Family
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.
White Bread (page 214)
Valerie’s Recipes
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.
Look for Valerie’s Home Cooking: More than 100 Delicious Recipes to Share with Friends and Family at your local bookstore or at Amazon.com.
Looking for more spicy deliciousness? Check out my jambalaya recipe.
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