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Italian

Penne all'arrabbiata

Vegetarian

Penne in a fiery tomato sauce of garlic, dried chilli and olive oil — 'arrabbiata' means angry, a nod to the heat. A Roman trattoria staple that comes together while the pasta boils.

Penne all'arrabbiata is an Italian pasta dish from Italy, ready in about 25 minutes and made with dried pasta, red chilli flakes and canned tomatoes. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Penne all'arrabbiata
Representative photo. Petar Milošević / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
5 min
Cook
20 min
Total
25 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
408

Ingredients

4 servings

For the cooking water

For the sauce

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Warm the oil in a wide pan over medium-low heat and sizzle the garlic (opens in a new tab) and chilli for a minute until fragrant.

  2. Step 2

    Add the tomatoes and salt, bring to a lively simmer and cook, stirring now and then, until thickened and glossy.

    • 15 min
    • medium heat
    A sauce simmering in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Nanda Mends on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile cook the penne (opens in a new tab) in well-salted boiling water until al dente, keeping some cooking water.

    Pasta boiling in a pot of water
    How it looks · Photo: Gianpiero Ferraro on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Toss the drained penne in the sauce with a splash of pasta (opens in a new tab) water over the heat for a minute. Finish with parsley (opens in a new tab) and serve with pecorino (opens in a new tab) if you like.

    • 2 min
    • medium-high heat
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Lazio (Rome), Italy · Commonly attributedMore food from Italy
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Pasta · Main courses
Cooking method
Boiled, Simmered
Taste
spicy (chilli heat), tangy, garlicky
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
Without the optional extras: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Everyday · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Dried pasta · Red chilli flakes · Canned tomatoes · Garlic
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom pecorino romano
  • May contain: Eggsfrom dried pasta
  • Contains: Wheatfrom dried pasta
  • Contains: Glutenfrom dried pasta

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

408 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 195 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 11%
  • Carbohydrate 63%
  • Fat 26%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy408 kcal209 kcal
Protein11.5 g5.9 g
Carbohydrate64.5 g33 g
Net carbohydrate59.8 g30.7 g
Sugars4.8 g2.4 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre4.7 g2.4 g
Fat11.6 g6 g
Saturated fat1.7 g0.9 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium703 mg360 mg
Salt equivalent1.8 g0.9 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
391 mg
Calcium
56 mg
Iron
3.4 mg
Magnesium
54 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
30 µg
Vitamin C
14 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
321 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: parsley, pecorino romano.
  • Red chilli flakes: Ground cayenne (FDC 170932) used as a stand-in for dried chilli flakes such as pul biber or Aleppo pepper.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Finishing the pasta in the sauce for the last minute lets it absorb flavour.

Common mistakes

  • Browning the garlic and chilli — they should sizzle gently for a minute, not colour, or the sauce turns bitter.

Serve with

  • Serve with a green salad and bread.

Storage

  • Sauce keeps 4 days in the fridge or 3 months frozen.

Reheating

  • Reheat the sauce gently and cook fresh pasta.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 2, 3, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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