Penne all’arrabbiata (spicy penne pasta) is my go-to when I want a quick and spicy pasta. With garlic, olive oil, tomatoes, and red pepper flakes, this Roman classic is ready in under 30 minutes and bursting with authentic flavor.
If you like this recipe, then you will like my pasta alla vodka and my bolognese!
Originally published March 2023, updated May 2025
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I’m sort of wondering why this wasn’t one of the first pasta recipes I shared here with all of you. Along with my easy lemon ricotta pasta and spaghetti aglio e olio, penne arrabiata was another classic easy pasta recipe I’ve been making on constant rotation for years!
A complex tomato sauce that is cooked in fruity extra-virgin olive oil, a bit of fresh garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes. So simple to put together, yet so flavorful!
The delicious sauce cooks in minutes and then is tossed together with the pasta, and a sprinkle of Italian parsley.
I guarantee you will add this pasta to your repertoire! So simple to make and truly satisfying, you'll have to serve it with our easy Ligurian focaccia bread with rosemary or some crusty no-knead Italian bread.
If you're wondering what arrabbiata sauce is made of, it's a spicy tomato sauce from Rome using garlic, olive oil, and crushed red pepper flakes—no cheese or meat, making it a great vegan Italian pasta recipe.
This easy penne arrabbiata recipe is one of my go-to comfort dishes when I want to make a flavorful, spicy Italian pasta at home without too much prep.
What does Penne Arrabbiata mean?
In Italy, it’s written grammatically correct like this: “penne all’arrabbiata”. Penne arrabiata literally means, angry penne. Arrabbiata means angry (or mad). The penne are angry because they’re spicy!
Ingredients you'll need
This is what you will need to make this classic Italian pasta dish (full printable recipe is below):
- Pasta: I used penne, but you could use any short pasta, like rigatoni, farfalle, mezze-penne. You could even use it with a long pasta, like spaghetti, or bucatini.
- Olive oil: As I typically mention for most recipes, use a very good quality extra-virgin olive oil. Even if you invest in a smaller sized bottle, you will notice the flavor difference.
- Crushed red pepper flakes: Not easy to find fresh peperoncini (red hot chili peppers) at a produce market (depending if you're in the States, you could use another type of red hot pepper). For this recipe, we used crushed red pepper flakes (not ground cayenne pepper).
- Garlic: Fresh garlic is best (I do not recommend garlic powder). If you find bottled minced garlic, you could use that.
- Canned whole tomatoes: Like the olive oil, it's important to use a very good quality brand. San Marzano DOP authentic whole peeled tomatoes would make the best flavored sauce. Any good-quality brand will make a very nice flavored sauce.
- Fresh Italian parsley : Use fresh parsley (or fresh basil). I do not recommend dried parsley. Add some more chopped fresh parsley on top when you serve the pasta (if you like).
- Salt: I used sea salt for the arrabbiata sauce. To cook the pasta, I use coarse sea salt.
How to Make Pasta Arrabbiata (Step-by-Step)
Here is how to make the arrabbiata sauce:
- Gather all ingredients: First step is to gather all the ingredients. This sauce is quick to put together.
- Sauté the crushed red pepper flakes: Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or deep sauté pan. Add in the crushed red pepper flakes and sauté for about 1-2 minutes. Keep an eye on it, because if the pan is too hot, they will brown quickly.
- Add the garlic: Add in the garlic and sauté until for a minute (it gets color quickly, so don't let it brown).
- Add tomatoes: Next, add in the tomatoes (also the juices). I break them up and remove the hard stem before I add them to the pan. Use your wooden spoon to break them up and stir.
- Simmer the sauce: Once the sauce comes to a nice simmer, lower the heat to medium-low. Keep it simmering for about 25-30 minutes. Continue heating the sauce until it comes to a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium (or medium-low) to maintain a low simmer, and let the sauce cook for about 30 minutes, or until it the sauce is as thick (or thin) as you would like to to be.
- Boil pasta water: When you have about 15 minutes left of simmering, bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt to the water when it comes to a rolling boil.
- Cook pasta: Add in the pasta, and cook until it's 1-2 minutes before al dente (be sure to check cooking time on pasta box).
- Stir in the parsley + salt : Then taste the sauce, and season with any extra salt, and some more crushed red pepper flakes, as you like, to your taste.
- Drain pasta: Drain the pasta in a colander and be sure to reserve a bit of the pasta water. Immediately transfer the pasta to the pan with the sauce. Raise the heat a little and combine, stirring with the sauce. If it's too thick, add a bit of the reserved starchy pasta water to thin it out.
- Plate up the pasta: Serve the pasta and add some more chopped fresh parsley, if you like.
If the sauce gets a little too thick for your liking (especially once you have mixed it in with the pasta), feel free to add in ¼ cup of the starchy pasta water to thin it out a bit. Or if the sauce is too thin for you, just keep simmering it until more of the juices have evaporated and the sauce has thickened.
Tips for the best Arrabbiata Sauce
- Prep all the ingredients: Get your sauce ingredients together before starting to cook. This is a very quick sauce to make. If you're chopping your own garlic, get that ready and cut up the fresh basil.
- Generously salted pasta water: Don't forget to add plenty of salt to the pasta water. IF you forget the salt, the pasta will end up being very bland.
- Keep an eye on the garlic: As soon as it turns a light golden brown, remove the pan from the heat and wait for the pasta to be ready to add.
- Adjust the heat: If you're making this for kids, leave out the hot pepper flakes. If you like it very spicy, add more pepper flakes to your taste.
Pasta Arrabbiata Video
What to serve with Penne Arrabbiata
Arrabbiata sauce is usually served with penne pasta. Since it is such a versatile sauce, it could be enjoyed in different ways.
- Polenta: Serve the sauce with our slow roasted Italian pork with polenta. If you don't want to make the pork, just cook up the polenta alone. The sauce and the polenta are a great combination.
- Eggs: Arrabbiata sauce is could be used in our eggs in purgatory. If you're making for kids and adults, I would do one portion not spicy (for the kids)and one spicy (for the adults).
FAQs
The similarity in the two sauces is that they both use tomatoes as a base. Marinara is a mild sauce and arrabiata is a spicy sauce, as red pepper flakes are used in the sauce.
Yes, it is such a simple sauce to make. But it's really nice to cook up ahead of time. Make it 2-3 days before and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Cook the pasta and heat the sauce in a skillet when ready to enjoy.
Yes, just use your favorite gluten-free pasta brand.
Can arrabbiata sauce be made ahead of time?
Yes, it is such a simple sauce to make. But it's really nice to cook up ahead of time. Make it 2-3 days before and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Cook the pasta and heat the sauce in a skillet when ready to enjoy.
How to Store or Freeze Arrabbiata Sauce
If you have any leftovers, let it cool down to room temperature and then store in airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Yes, you can freeze the sauce. Let the arrabbiata sauce cool down completely, and then store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge. When you're ready to enjoy the sauce, heat it with some cooked up pasta.
More Easy Italian Pasta Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Easy Spicy Tomato Pasta (Arrabbiata Sauce)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound penne pasta or rigatoni
- 3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 28- ounce whole peeled San Marzano DOC tomatoes or jar of tomato passata
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 small bunch fresh Italian parsley chopped leaves only
Instructions
- Heat oil: In a large sauté pan or medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high until it's shimmering.
- Add garlic and pepper flakes: Add garlic and the crushed red pepper flakes and sauté cook until the garlic is fragrant (no more than a minute, or it will brown).
- Add tomatoes: Next, add in the tomatoes (also the juices). I break them up and remove the hard stem before I add them to the pan. Use your wooden spoon to break them up and stir.
- Simmer the sauce: Once the sauce comes to a nice simmer, lower the heat to medium-low. Keep it simmering for about 25-30 minutes. Continue heating the sauce until it comes to a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium (or medium-low) to maintain a low simmer, and let the sauce cook for about 30 minutes, or until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Boil pasta water: When you have about 15 minutes left of simmering, bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt when it comes to a rolling boil.
- Cook pasta: Add in the pasta, and cook until it's 1-2 minutes before al dente.
- Stir in the parsley + salt : Then taste the sauce, and season with any extra salt, pepper and/or crushed red pepper flakes as needed.
- Drain pasta: Drain the pasta in a colander and be sure to reserve a bit of the pasta water. Immediately transfer the pasta to the pan with the sauce. Raise the heat a little and combine, stirring with the sauce. If it's too thick, add a bit of the reserved starchy pasta water to thin it out.
- Plate up the pasta: Serve the pasta and add some more chopped fresh parsley, if you like. Enjoy!
Nutrition Disclaimer
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.
Notes
-
- Pasta: Use your favorite gluten-free pasta brand to make this gluten-free.
- Sauce: I recommend San Marzano DOP. Or if you can find a nice passata, use that.
- Make ahead: Make the sauce a day or two in advance and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Make pasta and combine with heated sauce when ready to enjoy.
- Freeze sauce: You could freeze the sauce for up to 2 months in an airtight container. Thaw out the sauce overnight in the refrigerator. When ready to enjoy the next day, heat sauce in a saucepan over medium heat.
Jenny says
Spicy tomato sauce is my favorite sauce. I love to make this with spaghetti. It's so easy. I add even extra spice!!
Paula says
Loved the fiery, spicy kick to this classic pasta dish. You really took things to the next level and I loved it!
Nora says
Penne all’Arrabbiata is such a perfect dish when you’re in the mood for something bold, spicy, and satisfying! I love how it comes together with just a few pantry staples, yet delivers such rich, authentic Italian flavor. Quick, vegan-friendly, and full of heat—this one’s always a winner!
Nicole says
This is so good! I love the spicy kick, and the sauce and pasta are perfect.
Greta says
This was satisfying. My husband loved the spicy kick. I saved it for later.
Jean says
The perfect simple dish. The sauce was amazing too.
Tisha says
Love making an authentic meal, this was a delicious recipe. Thank you for sharing.