Simple everyday ingredients, no fancy equipment and very inexpensive to make, this Spicy Spaghetti Arrabbiata is a real saviour for feeding a crowd! An authentic Italian classic, Arrabbiata Pasta is vegetarian and easily made vegan (just use vegan Parmesan). Delicious and unpretentious, this is a great pasta in tomato sauce dish with a little bit of a chilli kick!
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What Is Spaghetti Arrabbiata?
Spaghetti Arrabbiata is a classic Italian pasta dish, made with a spicy tomato sauce (arrabbiata sauce). Traditionally made with chilli, garlic and onions, the recipe originates from Rome and is now popular across the globe. Served with a good amount of parmesan or Pecorino Romano on top, it is an easy, but extremely flavoursome pasta dish with a bit of a kick.
Ingredients and Substitutes
- spaghetti: use about 80g of dried pasta per person. We used spaghetti to make this spicy pasta dish, but you can use any shape you have in your cupboards: linguine, rigatoni, and penne all work great!
- olive oil: can be replaced with avocado, rapeseed, vegetable or sunflower oil.
- fresh parsley: leaves and stalks finely chopped. Alternatively, use some fresh basil leaves to stir into the sauce last minute.
- garlic cloves: finely chopped or minced, or you can use ready-made garlic paste.
- brown onion: can be replaced with white onion, red onion or shallots.
- tomato puree: use rich concentrated tomato puree, also known as tomato paste.
- dried mixed herbs: like oregano, basil, thyme and parsley, or a combination of any of these.
- chilli flakes: we used ¼ teaspoon for 2 portions of mildly spicy arrabbiata, but if you like things hot and spicy, double the amount. Alternatively, you can use fresh finely chopped red chilli peppers, including or omitting the seeds based on your spice preference.
- tinned chopped tomatoes: 1 tin (400g) for 2 portions.
- cherry tomatoes: or baby plum tomatoes.
- parmesan: can be replaced with other hard Italian cheese, like Grana Padano.
Method
Start by making arrabbiata sauce. Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the finely chopped onions and cook on low heat for 5 minutes, until starting to soften. Then tip in the garlic and cook for another minute.
Add the dried herbs, chilli flakes and tomato paste and stir for a minute.
Tip in a tin of chopped tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, stir and leave to simmer on very low heat for 25 minutes. The sauce should reduce and thicken.
In the meantime, cook spaghetti following the instructions on the packet.
Once the sauce is ready, stir in the finely chopped parsley and halved cherry tomatoes. Toss the sauce through the pasta.
***If your cherry tomatoes are not very ripe and feel very firm, put them in the sauce about 5 minutes before it finishes cooking. That way they will have time to soften slightly.
Divide it between bowls and serve with parmesan on top!
Want To Add Something Else?
If you feel that your spicy pasta needs a little extra oomph, try adding some of the following:
- Stir in some basil leaves at the end. Or try our Tomato and Mozzarella Pasta With Basil (Spaghetti Caprese).
- Add some cooked shredded chicken to add protein and make it more filling. Or head to our Chicken Arrabbiata Pasta recipe!
- Top the arrabbiata pasta with chilli prawns (shrimp).
- Stir in cubed roasted aubergine.
What To Serve With Spicy Spaghetti Arrabbiata?
Spaghetti Arrabbiata is a classic Italian dish and we like to keep the side dishes traditional too.
- Crusty bread, like Sourdough or Focaccia, is perfect to mop up any remaining spicy tomato sauce.
- Cheesy garlic bread is always a hit!
- We love it with Courgette Ribbon Salad. It's fresh and balances out the chilli heat!
- A pile of rocket (arugula) with some balsamic glaze is wonderful with almost any tomato-based pasta.
Recipe FAQs
Healthy is a very subjective term. We think this pasta is healthier than most - it is vegetarian, has plenty of vegetables and is low in fat, pasta is always quite heavy on carbs and therefore, relatively high in calories.
Pomodoro is a more generic term to refer to a tomato sauce. Arrabiatta is a spicy version of it, made with chilli, garlic and onions.
Arrabbiata literally means 'angry' in Italian. It likely is a reference to the chilli heat that gives this pasta a bit of an edge.
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Tips & Tricks For The Best Spicy Arrabbiata Pasta
This pasta arrabbiata recipe calls for very simple ingredients and easy cooking methods, however, there are a couple of things that you can do to make sure you have the best spicy pasta dish ever.
- Cook your pasta al dente. That means that your pasta should have a little bite in the centre (there is nothing that spoils a pasta dish more than mushy overcooked noodles).
- Make sure your pasta doesn't stick to each other. The best way to achieve this is to stir immediately after adding pasta to the water. Do not add oil to water or cooked pasta - it will prevent the sauce from sticking to your pasta later on.
- Make sure to reduce the arrabbiata sauce. Take your time, and simmer the sauce on low heat for at least 20 minutes. The sauce will thicken, and become richer, infusing with the flavours of garlic and chilli.
- Use high-quality cheese to top your pasta. Nothing tastes better than aged Parmigiano Reggiano or some Italian Pecorino Romano.
Other Quick & Easy Pasta Recipes
If you enjoy making pasta for dinner, we have plenty of recipes for you to try. Most of our pasta dishes come together in less than 30 minutes!
- Creamy Gochujang Pasta
- Quick Lemon Ricotta Pasta
- Prawn Pasta with Herbs From the Garden
- Smoked Salmon & Spinach Pasta
Fancy Making Your Own Fresh Pasta?
Homemade pasta is a labour of love, but it stands head and shoulders above the dried shop-bough pasta. If you want to give it a go, head to our article on Home-Made Pasta: Three Easy Pasta Dough Recipes & Ten Different Shapes.
Recipe Card
Spicy Spaghetti Arrabbiata
Ingredients
- 250 g spaghetti
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 5 g parsley leaves and stalks finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped or minced
- 1 brown onions finely chopped
- 70 g tomato puree
- 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
- ½ teaspoon chilli flakes
- 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes 1 tin
- 140 g cherry tomatoes halved
- 20 g parmesan finely grated
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the finley chopped onions and cook on low heat for 5 minutes, until starting to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add the dried herbs, chilli flakes and tomato paste and stir for a minute.
- Tip in a tin of chopped tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, stir and leave to simmer for 25 minutes. The tinned tomatoes should disintegrate further and the sauce reduce and become thick (like a puree).
- In the meantime, cook spaghetti following instructions on the packet.
- Once the sauce is ready, stir in the finely chopped parsley and halved cherry tomatoes. ***If your cherry tomatoes are not very ripe and feel very firm, put them in the sauce about 5 minutes before it finishes cooking. That way they will have time to soften slightly.
- Toss the sauce through the pasta. Divide it between bowls and serve with parmesan on top!
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Nutrition
Tavo says
Wow, that Spicy Spaghetti Arrabbiata was a flavor explosion! The heat level was spot-on, and the sauce clung to the pasta like they were lifelong friends. Your tips on how to properly sauté the garlic made all the difference. Seriously, this dish is a must-try for anyone who loves a good kick in their pasta.
Ieva says
Thanks, Tavo! Love that you loved it 🙂
Helen says
Yum! Spicy and delicious. This is a great weeknight dinner, thanks!
Kechi says
Such a hearty and delicious dinner recipe; I love that it is spicy. Will be making this over the weekend, thanks so much for sharing!
Ieva says
Hope you like it!
Anjali says
This was so simple to make and so flavorful too! It was a great weeknight dinner for our family, along with some garlic bread on the side - yum!
Ieva says
Yes!!! Garlic bread makes everything better! 😀
Amanda Wren-Grimwood says
We like to go meat free a few times a week, but were running out of new ideas. I love this dish and it's easy but so tasty too. Perfect for weeknights.
Ieva says
Same! We love meatless dinners, and this is definitely one of those dishes that's easy, budget-friendly and delicious. Thanks for trying our recipe 🙂