A Roman classic built on heat and simplicity: ridged penne coated in a fierce, deeply reduced tomato sauce sharpened with garlic and dried chilli. The sauce clings into the pasta's grooves, parsley lifts the finish, and grated Pecorino Romano adds a salty, sharp edge. Bold enough to feel substantial, lean enough to sit comfortably at the weeknight table.
4piece
1bunch
4tbsp
1tsp
800g
1tsp
400g
150ml
40g| # | Product | Quantity | Notes | State | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | 4piece | — | — | |
| 2 | | 1bunch | — | — | |
| 3 | | 4tbsp | — | — | |
| 4 | | 1tsp | — | — | |
| 5 | | 800g | — | — | |
| 6 | | 1tsp | — | — | |
| 7 | | 400g | — | — | |
| 8 | | 150ml | — | — | |
| 9 | | 40g | — | — |
Peel the garlic cloves, discarding the skins.
Garlic clove · 4 piece
Gather the parsley into a tight bunch and finely chop the leaves and tender stalks.
Flat-leaf parsley · 1 bunchPour the olive oil into a large frying pan.
Light olive oil · 4 tbsp
Add the sliced garlic to the oil in the pan.
Add the dried chilli flakes to the oil in the pan.
Chilli flakes · 1 tspSauté the garlic and chilli flakes over a medium heat, stirring, until the garlic is golden and fragrant but not browned.
Add the tinned whole plum tomatoes to the garlic and chilli base.
Tinned whole plum tomatoes · 800 gCrush the whole plum tomatoes roughly with the back of a wooden spoon so they break down into a coarse sauce.
Season the sauce with salt.
Salt · 1 tspSimmer the sauce over a medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until it has thickened and deeply reduced.
Add the penne rigate to a large saucepan of well-salted boiling water.
Penne rigate · 400 g
Boil the penne rigate until a minute short of al dente by the packet time; it finishes in the sauce.
Scoop out the pasta cooking water into a small bowl before draining.
Pasta cooking water · 150 ml
Set the small bowl of pasta water aside ready to loosen the sauce.
Drain the penne rigate through a colander.
Add the drained penne rigate to the arrabbiata sauce in the pan.
Add the reserved pasta water to the pan.
Toss everything together vigorously over a medium heat until the sauce coats every ridge of the pasta and the water is absorbed.
Add the finely chopped parsley to the sauced penne.
Toss once more to distribute the parsley evenly through the pasta.
| # | Product | Tool | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 piece | | Peel the garlic cloves, discarding the skins.⏱ 30sResultPeeled garlic cloves |
| 2 | Peeled garlic clovesstep 1 | | Slice the peeled garlic cloves thinly and evenly.⏱ 1 minResultSliced garlicused in step 5 |
| 3 | 1 bunch | | Gather the parsley into a tight bunch and finely chop the leaves and tender stalks.⏱ 1 minResultFinely chopped parsleyused in step 20 |
| 4 | 4 tbsp | | Pour the olive oil into a large frying pan.⏱ 5sResultLight olive oil |
| 5 | Sliced garlicstep 2 | | Add the sliced garlic to the oil in the pan.⏱ 5sResultSliced garlic and light olive oil |
| 6 | 1 tsp | | Add the dried chilli flakes to the oil in the pan.⏱ 5sResultSliced garlic and light olive oil and dried chilli flakes |
| 7 | — | | Sauté the garlic and chilli flakes over a medium heat, stirring, until the garlic is golden and fragrant but not browned.⏱ 2 minResultSoftened garlic and chilli |
| 8 | 800 g | | Add the tinned whole plum tomatoes to the garlic and chilli base.⏱ 10sResultSoftened garlic and chilli and tinned whole plum tomatoes |
| 9 | — | | Crush the whole plum tomatoes roughly with the back of a wooden spoon so they break down into a coarse sauce.⏱ 30sResultCrushed tomato sauce base |
| 10 | 1 tsp | | Season the sauce with salt.⏱ 5sResultSeasoned crushed tomato sauce base |
| 11 | — | | Simmer the sauce over a medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until it has thickened and deeply reduced.⏱ 15 minResultDeeply reduced arrabbiata sauce |
| 12 | 400 g | | Add the penne rigate to a large saucepan of well-salted boiling water.⏱ 10sResultPenne rigate |
| 13 | — | | Boil the penne rigate until a minute short of al dente by the packet time; it finishes in the sauce.⏱ 11 minResultBoiled penne rigateused in step 16 |
| 14 | 150 ml | | Scoop out the pasta cooking water into a small bowl before draining.⏱ 15sResultPasta cooking water |
| 15 | — | | Set the small bowl of pasta water aside ready to loosen the sauce.⏱ 5sResultReserved pasta waterused in step 18 |
| 16 | Boiled penne rigatestep 13 | | Drain the penne rigate through a colander.⏱ 15sResultDrained penne rigate |
| 17 | Drained penne rigatestep 16 | | Add the drained penne rigate to the arrabbiata sauce in the pan.⏱ 10sResultDeeply reduced arrabbiata sauce and drained penne rigate |
| 18 | Reserved pasta waterstep 15 | | Add the reserved pasta water to the pan.⏱ 5sResultDeeply reduced arrabbiata sauce and drained penne rigate and reserved pasta water |
| 19 | — | | Toss everything together vigorously over a medium heat until the sauce coats every ridge of the pasta and the water is absorbed.⏱ 2 minResultSauced penne |
| 20 | Finely chopped parsleystep 3 | | Add the finely chopped parsley to the sauced penne.⏱ 5sResultFinely chopped parsley and sauced penne |
| 21 | — | | Toss once more to distribute the parsley evenly through the pasta.⏱ 20sResultParsley-finished penne all'arrabbiataused in step 23 |
| Total Time | 28 min | ||
| Nutrient | Per serving |
|---|---|
| 575kcal | |
| 18g | |
| 18g | |
| 4g | |
| 85g | |
| 6g | |
| 8g | |
| 1,498mg |
A Roman classic built on heat and simplicity: ridged penne coated in a fierce, deeply reduced tomato sauce sharpened with garlic and dried chilli. The sauce clings into the pasta's grooves, parsley lifts the finish, and grated Pecorino Romano adds a salty, sharp edge. Bold enough to feel substantial, lean enough to sit comfortably at the weeknight table.
What you’ll doYou will build the arrabbiata by gently sautéing sliced garlic and chilli flakes in olive oil, then crushing tinned plum tomatoes straight into the pan and simmering the sauce until deeply reduced. While the sauce finishes, you cook the penne to just al dente, reserving some starchy cooking water before draining. The pasta goes straight into the sauce with a splash of that water, and everything is tossed vigorously over heat until the sauce clings to every ridge, before parsley and grated Pecorino are added at the end.
