Rigatoni arrabbiata is a flavorful dish that is perfect for anyone who loves a little bit of spice! It features an incredibly delicious tomato sauce, chewy rigatoni, and fresh basil, and can be served with grated parmesan cheese on top for a delicious Italian dinner at home.
Rigatoni arrabbiata is the perfect dish for anyone who loves spicy tomato sauces! It's a classic Italian pasta dish that is known for its flavorful, spicy, and slightly sweet tomato sauce.
It's also one of my go-to recipes for a quick and delicious weeknight dinner as it uses ingredients that can easily be stored in your pantry. All you need is a few simple ingredients such as canned tomatoes, chili, and garlic to make a sauce that tastes amazing with all types of pasta!
And if you want to check out more recipes that use a similar combination of ingredients, feel free to take a look at my tomato basil pasta, spicy garlic shrimp pasta, or shrimp arrabbiata recipe.
Rigatoni Arrabbiata Ingredients
To make rigatoni arrabbiata, you'll need the following ingredients:
- Rigatoni: You can use rigatoni or another shape of pasta for this recipe. I love rigatoni with arrabbiata sauce as the sauce clings to the outside and inside of the pasta. Another classic type of pasta for arrabbiata sauce is penne.
- Canned San Marzano tomatoes: You'll also need peeled and whole San Marzano tomatoes that are sold in cans. They are slightly sweeter than other types of canned tomatoes and are typically used for this type of sauce. You can pick a brand that's available to you. I personally love and use Mutti products for all of my pasta dishes.
- Aromatics: You'll also need yellow onion, garlic, and chili pepper to make the sauce taste flavorful and delicious. Be sure to use all of these ingredients as the sauce will turn out bland when they are omitted.
- Red pepper flakes: To make the sauce spicy and tasty, you'll need red pepper flakes.
- Fresh basil: You'll also need fresh basil to add extra flavor and aroma to the sauce. Another option is using fresh parsley. Feel free to pick the one you like most.
How to make rigatoni arrabbiata
Sauté the onion. First, preheat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Then add the diced onion and sauté until it turns translucent.
Add the remaining aromatics. Next, add the garlic, chili pepper, and red pepper flakes. Continue to sauté until fragrant.
Add the tomatoes and simmer. Now add the crushed San Marzano tomatoes to the pan. Season with salt and pepper, stir, cover the pan, and let the sauce simmer for 15 minutes.
Cook the pasta. In the meantime, cook the pasta in a pot filled with salted boiling water according to the package instructions. Reduce the cook time by 2 minutes to cook the pasta until al dente. Save plenty of pasta water, drain, and set aside.
Finish the sauce. Add some pasta water and the chopped fresh basil leaves to the sauce. Stir and let everything simmer for 2 more minutes.
Combine. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss until combined. Season with more salt and pepper if needed.
Garnish and serve. Garnish the rigatoni arrabbiata with freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional) and chopped fresh basil. Enjoy!
Tips & Notes
- Adjust the amount of red pepper flakes to your taste. I made the sauce medium-hot so that most people could enjoy it. If you can handle and love spice, feel free to use more red pepper flakes. I often use 1-2 teaspoons more than the recipe states as I absolutely love spicy foods.
- Let the sauce simmer for at least 15 minutes. If you have some additional time, you can let the sauce simmer for 5-10 more minutes. Letting the sauce cook for some time is crucial for its taste. So be sure to not reduce the cook time.
- Cook the pasta until al dente. As the pasta continues to cook when you add it to the sauce, it's best to cook it until al dente. It will be perfect once you've tossed it in the sauce.
Variations
- Add some protein to your meal. I love to use shrimp for most of my pasta dishes as they go really well with most sauces. You can take a look at my shrimp arrabbiata recipe if you want to use shrimp. You could also use fish or chicken.
- Make your meal more balanced by adding vegetables to the sauce. Baby spinach, eggplant, and zucchini are delicious options that taste great with arrabbiata sauce.
- Use fresh parsley instead of basil for the sauce. It tastes different than basil but is super delicious in tomato sauce!
- Intensify the flavor of the sauce by using additional spices or tomato paste. Traditional arrabbiata sauce uses the ingredients that are specified in the recipe box below. But you can intensify the flavor of the sauce by using paprika powder, cayenne pepper, and tomato paste.
How to serve rigatoni arrabbiata
- Enjoy your bowl of pasta with grated parmesan cheese on top. It makes any pasta dish taste so much more delicious!
- Prepare a side salad for a balanced dinner. I like to make a simple side salad with tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, and a quick balsamic vinaigrette (you can check out my balsamic lentil salad for a vinaigrette recipe). You could also prepare a quick arugula salad with lemon dressing and shaved parmesan cheese.
- Make a side dish or appetizer that can be enjoyed alongside the pasta. Classic Italian bruschetta, a Caprese salad, and roasted vegetables are really tasty options!
Frequently Asked Questions
Arrabbiata sauce is flavorful and spicy due to the aromatics that are used. It's also slightly sweet, has the right amount of acidity, and goes really well with most shapes and types of pasta!
I'd say that it's medium-hot. It should be perfect for most people who like spicy dishes. If you want some extra heat, you can use more red pepper flakes to make the sauce spicier.
Arrabbiata sauce and marinara sauce are both tomato sauces that are made with canned San Marzano tomatoes. They are both super delicious and have a slightly sweet taste. Marinara sauce is very mild and focused on the flavor of the tomatoes and basil while arrabbiata sauce is spicy and more intensely flavored.
You can store leftovers in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 3-4 days. You could also prepare a large batch of sauce, use some for your serving of pasta, and freeze the remaining sauce. This way, you'll always have tasty and fresh pasta sauce on hand!
More easy and delicious pasta recipes
Pasta is a weeknight favorite of mine as it is super easy to prepare and always incredibly delicious. If you're looking for more pasta dishes that you can add to your cooking rotation, feel free to check out the following recipes.
Rigatoni Arrabbiata
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 chili pepper finely diced
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes more to taste
- 2 14-ounce cans peeled and whole San Marzano tomatoes crushed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 12 ounces rigatoni
- pasta water as needed
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves chopped
- parmesan cheese (optional, but recommended) as topping
Instructions
- First, preheat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until it turns translucent.2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 yellow onion
- Next, add the garlic, chili pepper, and red pepper flakes. Sauté for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.3 garlic cloves, 1 chili pepper, 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
- Now add the crushed tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, cover the pan, and let the sauce simmer for 15 minutes.2 14-ounce cans peeled and whole San Marzano tomatoes, salt and pepper
- In the meantime, cook the pasta in a pot filled with boiling salted water according to the package instructions. Reduce the cook time by 2 minutes to cook the pasta until al dente. Then save some pasta water, drain, and set aside.12 ounces rigatoni
- Add some pasta water and the chopped basil leaves to the sauce. Stir and let everything simmer for 2 more minutes.pasta water, ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
- Add the pasta to the sauce and toss until combined. Season with more salt and pepper if needed.
- Garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese and chopped basil leaves. Enjoy!parmesan cheese (optional, but recommended)
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