All-time Favorite Pasta Arrabbiata (aka Angry Pasta)

Enjoy the summer heat with this 5-ingredient spicy tomato pasta like an Italian

Nothing says summer like a delicious spicy meal. If you're looking for a way to savor the heat this summer, you'll want to try this ultimate Arrabiata pasta recipe! Robust sweet San Marzano tomatoes simmering in spicy serrano chilli, garlic, parsley stalks, and oil tossed in trofie pasta.

This 5-ingredient dish is sure to become your all-time favorite - it's packed with zesty flavor and just the right amount of heat to make it the perfect summer meal. Not only is this dish a hit in my house hold, it takes me back to my trip to Italy in 2022; hot spicy, and memorable.

gather your ingredients

Let's talk tomatoes. Making tomato sauce using whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes will change your life.

As always, Italian dishes are simple with few ingredients which means all ingredients must be good quality. From olive oil to tomato sauce--in this case, we are using whole San Marzano tomatoes. Unlike other tomatoes, San Marzano tomatoes are grown in only certain parts of Italy. The soil and terrain of the region gives the tomatoes its distinctive sweet and sour flavors you cannot find anywhere. People are not kidding when they say Italy takes their food very seriously. I never have trouble finding San Marzano tomatoes in a grocery store. Grab a can or two for the pantry. You won't be disappointed.

The inspiration and recipe of this dish is from my favorite Italian cook, Vincenzo's Plate. I make pasta arrabbiata so many times, I could prepare this dish with my eyes closed! You can opt to eat this as a first course or as a main dish with grilled chicken or seafood. Serve this dish with a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley, grates parmesan cheese, and your done!

Pasta Arrabiata

Spicy red sauce pasta made from sweet whole San Marzano tomatoes simmering in serrano chilli, garlic, parsley stalks, and oil tossed in trofie pasta

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Course dinner, First Course, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4 servings

Equipment

• Large pan for simmering the sauce and the pasta
• Medium size pot for boiling the pasta
• Potato masher for mashing the tomatoes
• Cheese grater

Ingredients  

• 28 oz whole San Marzano tomatoes
• 2 or more serrano peppers or other mild/hot chillis
• 4 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 pound trofie pasta or penne
• handful fresh parsley
• 1 ½ tsp salt 2 tbsp more for pasta water
• grated parmesan cheese

Instructions 

• In a big pot, bring about 6 cups of water to a boil, salting the water generously with 2 tbsp of salt.
• While the water is reaching a boil, mince the garlic, slice the serrano peppers, and chop parsley leaves. Make sure to leave parsley stems for the next step.
• On a medium-low heat, combine olive oil, garlic, and parsley stems in a large size pan. Saute the herbs in oil for about 5-6 minutes to extract the flavors of the herbs. After 6 minutes, you can take out the parsley stems if you mind having them in the pasta.
• Pour in the San Marzano tomatoes and crush the tomatoes with a potato masher creating a tomato sauce. Turn the heat up to medium and allow the sauce to simmer until the pasta is finished cooking.
• At this point the pasta water should be boiling. Cook the pasta according to the package instruction. Mine was 10-12 minutes. I opted for 10 minutes for al dente.
• Once the pasta is close to being cooked, pour in about 1 cup of pasta water into the sauce. Season the sauce with salt. Strain the pasta and combine. Sprinkle the chopped parsley and some grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!