Easy Penne Arrabbiata

A white plate of penne arrabbiata with red tomato sauce and chopped herbs sits on a marble surface. Nearby are two red chili peppers, a garlic clove, and a glass bowl of red pepper flakes.

5 from 7 votes

This easy penne arrabbiata is a very quick Italian pasta recipe that is vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, sugar-free, and could be made with your favorite gluten-free pasta brand. Made with a simple red sauce and crushed red pepper flakes.

Prep Time5

Cook Time22

Total Time27

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: pasta, tomato sauce, vegan

Servings:

Calories: 344kcal

Author: Lora

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!

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.

Nutrition