Penne all'arrabbiata
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 10 to 30 mins
- Serve
- Serves 4
A spicy pasta all'arrabbiata – or spicy tomato sauce to you and me – an easy store cupboard pasta dish for a weeknight supper.
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 red chillies, finely sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- handful basil leaves
- 600g/1lb 5oz tinned chopped tomatoes
- salt and black pepper
- 400g/14oz penne pasta
- Parmesan shavings (or similar vegetarian hard cheese), to serve
Method
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a low heat. Add the chilli and garlic to the pan. After about a minute, add the basil leaves and gently wilt them in the flavoured oil.
Stir in the chopped tomatoes.
Increase the heat and simmer for at least 10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions in large saucepan of boiling, salted water until al dente.
Drain the pasta and stir into the tomato sauce. Serve with shavings of Parmesan.
Recipe tips
To make this recipe vegan omit the cheese or use a vegan alternative.
If you like your food really spicy, make sure you use a strong chilli and include the white membranes – standard supermarket chillies can be quite mild. In Italian, arrabbiata literally means 'angry' so it should have a kick.
When draining the pasta, it's always worth keeping a little of the starchy cooking water. If the sauce is too thick, it's perfect for loosening it as the starch makes it lovely and silky.
Any leftover sauce can be frozen.
