Spicy Arrabbiata Sauce
When it comes to pasta, I love tomato sauce and l love my pasta smothered in it. I often make bolognese but it’s definitely very time consuming and can take up to 3 hours to make including prep time. I also like to make a shrimp or clam tomato sauce with my pasta because it’s lighter and doesn’t take as long to cook. But sometimes I don’t have seafood readily available on hand. A great option for a simple pasta sauce is arrabbiata sauce, which is basically a spicy marinara. It’s perfect for those nights when you don’t have a lot of time because it doesn’t require many ingredients. You probably already have everything you need in your pantry. It’s easy to make and so delicious! And you can freeze your leftovers!
Pasta with Spicy Arrabbiata Sauce (Serves 5-6)
Ingredients:
Linguine-fini or any pasta of your choice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 sweet yellow onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, 4 diced and 2 smashed
2 (28 oz) cans of whole tomatoes
16 basil leaves, torn
1 tsp oregano
½ - 1½ tsp red chili pepper flakes, more or less, depending on your spice level (½ tsp=a little spicy, 1 tsp=spicy, 1.5 tsp=very spicy)
5 sprigs of thyme
1½ tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 cup of water
¼ tsp sugar
burrata or parmesan cheese upon serving (optional)
Directions:
Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a 3 quart pot over medium heat. Brown onions. Throw in the garlic and lightly toast. Pour in canned tomatoes. Add salt, pepper, sugar, red chili pepper flakes, oregano, thyme, and fresh basil. If your tomatoes are whole, you can break it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks.
Simmer for 30 minutes on medium-low. Sauce will thicken and stick to the bottom of the pot. Stir sporadically breaking up the tomatoes and scraping the bottom.
Add 1 cup of water and stir thoroughly. Cook for another 30 minutes on medium-low heat. Continue to stir sauce and break up the tomatoes with your wooden spoon.
Lastly, drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil over your finished sauce and stir.
Toss your pasta in the sauce. Serve with fresh basil and a scoop of burrata cheese or grated parmesan. Sprinkle with fresh ground black pepper. I prefer burrata because it helps calm down the spice. Its soft, rich and cool texture is also a nice contrast to the hot and spicy dish. If you choose burrata, drizzle a little bit of EVOO on top. Skip the cheese all together and make this dish vegan. Substitute pasta for zucchini noodles (or use gluten-free pasta) and make this dish gluten free. Or do both, and make this dish vegan AND gluten-free!
When I cook for just me, I like to toss an individual portion of the linguine-fini in an individual portion of the sauce, in a separate pan, over the stove top. I also prefer my pasta al dente so I undercook my pasta slightly knowing that it will cook a little bit more when I mix it in with the sauce in the pan. Then I freeze the rest of the sauce to have later, either with pasta or to make shakshouka with for breakfast. But if you are planning on making this dish for a few guests, you can transfer all of your pasta directly into the pot of sauce and toss all together.
