Arrabiata Sauce

Something New: A Spicy Tomato Sauce 🔥

I’m taking a short break from the sweets to share this savory (and spicy!) arrabiata sauce. Full of flavor and plenty of heat, this spicy tomato sauce is an Italian classic!

A few things to know about my recipe:

Arrabiata sauce is supposed to be very spicy, and my version is. I do include instructions on how to make a milder version below, if you’d like. For the most authentic taste, my recipe uses just a handful of high quality ingredients–only 8! It takes time to develop the best, most robust flavor. You cannot rush the process, so have patience! This recipe takes very minimal effort, the hardest part is allowing it to simmer long enough for the flavor to develop. It’s not just for spaghetti! Spoon this sauce over stuffed shells, use it to make a spicy lasagna, or swap it for pizza sauce and make a spicy homemade pizza. The name “Arrabiata” derives from the Italian word “arrabbiata” in Italian, which means angry (no surprise, given the heat of the sauce!). While the Italian name is “sugo all’arrabbiata”, you’ll typically find it spelled without the second “b” in America.

If you are a fan of spicy food, you need to try this one! And if not, no worries, we’ll be back to our normal, less-spicy recipes on Thursday 😉

What You Need

I use minimal ingredients to keep my recipe as authentic as possible. Because of this, it is so important that every ingredient is of high quality (so grind your own salt and black pepper, use fresh basil leaves, and grate your own parmesan). Here’s what you need:

Extra virgin olive oil. Just like when making my rigatoni, we’ll use a high quality extra virgin olive oil here. We’ll use this as a a base for our sauce and to saute the onion and garlic. Canned tomatoes. Whole tomatoes are best because they have the most pure tomato flavor without any additives. And yes, I’m confident in my choice to use canned tomatoes here–I talk more about this choice in my marinara sauce post if you want to learn why. Red pepper flakes. An essential ingredient! This is what gives arrabiata sauce its heat. I use a hefty amount (this sauce is meant to be spicy!), but you can adjust this to suit your taste. Sure, it won’t be as authentic, but I totally understanding sacrificing in order to get the kids to the dinner table. Fresh basil. Please do not substitute dried basil–we really need the fresh stuff here! I prefer to hand tear basil instead of cutting it with a knife; hand tearing preserves the flavor and prevents the basil from turning black. Plus it looks more rustic! Salt and pepper. Use freshly cracked sea salt and black pepper, and make sure to taste test after simmering. If your sauce tastes bland, it just needs a bit more salt!

SAM’S TIP: This recipe makes enough sauce for 8 oz of pasta, but it can be doubled easily. Penne or spaghetti are good choices here, though really any kind of pasta will work.  

A quick note on cookware

I used an enameled cast iron pan in the photos below. Enameled cast iron and stainless steel are great options, but I don’t recommend non-enameled cast iron. The acidity of the tomatoes tends to interact with the iron and, after a long bout of simmering can make your arabiatta sauce taste like metal.

How to Make Arrabiata Sauce

SAM’S TIP: Good sauce takes time to make! You must let this arrabiata sauce simmer for at least 30 minutes, as this allows the flavors to properly develop. Make sure to keep the heat low during this process so you don’t burn your sauce. Do you love spicy food?! Let me know in the comments if you’d like to see more recipes like this! Enjoy! Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook

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