Spaghetti Arrabiata is a quick and easy delicious pasta recipe tossed in a in a spicy tomato sauce. This dinner, also known as angry pasta due to the spice levels, is ready to serve in just 20 minutes!
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❤️ Why you'll love it
Quick and Easy Dinner: this easy spaghetti arrabbiata recipe is perfect for Pasta nights and is ready in just 20 minutes
Feeds a crowd: this vegetarian recipe easily feeds 6-8 people
Easy to adapt: you can easily adjust the heat level by using more or less dried chili pepper flakes
🥘 Ingredients
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Dried spaghetti: I love Dreamfields spaghetti and use this when choosing to make a dried pasta, bonus it is vegan!
Extra virgin olive oil
Fresh tomatoes: I used ripe beefsteak tomatoes, 3 medium sized whole tomatoes equals about 1 pound
Fresh garlic cloves: look for a large bulb with larger cloves that are not sprouting
Onion: a white or yellow onion will work best
Red pepper flakes: I used dried red chili peppers
Parmesan cheese: buy the brick and shred the cheese for the best flavor
Fresh basil: torn and stirred into the sauce as well as used as a garnish
Sugar: a small amount is used to balance out the flavors.
Salt
Black pepper
🔪 Instructions
Make the pasta:
- In a large pot of water, cook dried pasta according to package instructions until pasta is al dente. Drain, rinse, and return pasta to pot with ½ tablespoon of olive oil, tossing to coat. Set aside
To make the arrabbiata sauce:
- In a large skillet, heat remaining olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the diced onion and garlic and saute for 2 minutes, until onion has softened.
- Stir in the tomatoes, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and sugar. Bring tomato sauce to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer on low for 7 minutes. Add up to ¼ cup of water if needed.
- Transfer the sauce to the pot with the cooked pasta. Toss to coat well.
- Stir in the fresh basil and transfer pasta to serving dishes. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and basil.
🥄 Equipment
Large pot
Wooden spoon
Large skillet: to make the arrabiata sauce
Chef knife:
Cutting board: needed to prep the tomatoes and garlic
Microplane zester: used to finely shred the fresh parmesan cheese
🥫Storage
Refrigerate: store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 5 days.
Reheat: warm leftovers with ¼ cup water in a large pan on the stove top over low heat until warmed through.
📖 Variations
- Substitute any dried pasta of choice, you don't have to use spaghetti, feel free to use a good quality fresh pasta in place of dried.
- Adjust the spice level by lowering or increasing the amount of red chilli flakes.
- Add cooked shrimp or chicken to the sauce when tossing.
- Substitute 2 cups canned diced tomatoes for the fresh tomatoes.
💭 Top Tips
- If the tomato sauce seems to dry out as it is simmering, add ¼ cup water to loosen it up some.
- For best flavors, stick with fresh parmesan cheese over dried
- If concerned about this being a vegetarian dish, be sure to check the ingredients for parmesan cheese. If it says animal rennet, it is not vegetarian.
📚 Related Recipes
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Try this doctored up pasta sauce with spaghetti for a fast weeknight dinner.
Homemade Pasta Sauce is made with canned tomatoes for convenience and is absolutely delicious!
🍽 Serve with...
Serve with a green salad topped with Italian Vinaigrette or your choice of dressing.
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📖 Recipe
Spaghetti Arrabiata
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 375 grams dried spaghetti
- 3 medium fresh tomatoes , diced
- 1 medium onion , finely diced
- 6 large garlic cloves , chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil , divided
- 2 teaspoons red chili pepper flakes , adjust according to heat tolerance
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper , optional
- ¼ cup torn fresh basil leaves
- 8 tablespoons finely shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
Make the pasta
- In a large pot of water, cook dried pasta according to package instructions until pasta is al dente. Drain, rinse, and return pasta to pot with ½ tablespoon of olive oil, tossing to coat. Set aside.
To make the arrabbiata sauce
- In a large skillet, heat remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and garlic and saute for 2 minutes, until onion has softened.
- Stir in the tomatoes, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and sugar. Bring tomato sauce to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer on low for 7 minutes. Add up to ¼ cup of water if needed.
- Transfer the sauce to the pot with the cooked pasta. Toss to coat well.
- Stir in the fresh basil and transfer pasta to serving dishes.
- Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and basil.
Heather Barker
This sounds yummy!! I would serve it with French bread with garlic butter and a classic garden salad!
Serena Tawil
This sounds easy and flavorful. We love asparagus and broccolini in our household, so I think I’d add one of those to this
Theresa Krier
I know my husband would like spicy Italian sausage and garlic bread with this. Thank you ! kpkrier@kci.net
Barb Hahn
I would add tomato cheese bread and a ceaser salad with this. Would make a great balanced meal! Yummy!
Judy Armstrong
I would make this for a meatless meal and serve it with a great chopped salad. Yummy!
JK
I would serve this with some prosciutto and mozzerella wraps or a white fish like cod or pollock.
Patty J Shay
I would serve this with two things. I’d make an arugula, pecan, raisin salad, with raspberry vinegrette and a hot, fresh baked focaccia!!
Irene Casimiro
My daughter and I make something similar in the hot summer months. We use fresh tomatoes, onion, lime juice, cilantro and last shrimp. To this/your recipe I would add a fresh garden salad.