Spaghetti Arrabiata Recipe – Easy, Spicy & Authentic Italian Pasta
If you love bold flavors but don’t have hours to spend in the kitchen, this Spaghetti Arrabiata is about to be your new favorite dinner. It’s spicy, saucy, and packed with that classic Italian flavor—all coming together in just 30 minutes. Perfect for busy weeknights when you need something easy but still want a homemade meal that feels a little special. Pair it with a simple salad with honey and lemon dressing, and maybe some quick chicken meatballs cooked in a skillet, and you’ve got a dinner that everyone at the table will love!
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As someone who has been creating homemade meals for years, I know how valuable it is to have reliable, delicious recipes that don’t take hours to make. Every recipe I share is carefully tested to ensure it’s quick, flavorful, and easy to follow—because busy nights shouldn’t mean sacrificing taste. My approach to cooking focuses on quality ingredients, simple techniques, and tried-and-true methods that bring out the best flavors. Spaghetti Arrabiata is a classic that I keep coming back to, and with this recipe, you’ll be able to recreate that bold, restaurant-quality flavor right at home!
Excited to try this recipe? Step-by-step instructions with photos can be found below the recipe card 👇 to guide you through each step.
Quick Spaghetti Arrabiata: Ready in Just 30 Minutes
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Ingredients
- 400 grams spaghetti Gluten-free if needed
- 2 tins Italian whole tomatoes choose BPA-free variety and organic if possible
- 4 cloves of fresh garlic cut in half
- 4 large whole dried red chillies
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 bunch of fresh basil leaves picked
Instructions
- In a large frying pan, heat 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat.
- Once oil is hot, add the garlic cloves and let them fry until they turned light brown. Stir constantly.4 cloves of fresh garlic
- Add the whole chillies and stir so that he chillies are covered with oil.4 large whole dried red chillies
- Add the tomatoes along with the juice and bring the mixture to a simmer.2 tins Italian whole tomatoes
- Mix the pasta sauce, breaking up the tomatoes and chillies as you go.
- Cook for aproximatelly 30 minutes on low heat until the sauce has thickened. Stir frequently.
- Season with salt amd pepper.
- While the sauce is simmering, cook the spaghetti in a large sauce pan according to the instructions or until the pasta is al dente.400 grams spaghetti
- Drain the pasta and return it back to the saucepan.
- Drizzle the spaghetti with the remailning 3 tablespoons of olive oil and add the basil leaves. Mix to combine.1 bunch of fresh basil
- Add the pasta to the tomato sauce and toss the spaghetti until evey bit is covered with the sauce.
- Serve in a bowl with fresh grated parmesan and some extra basil leaves.
Video
Notes
💡 Recipe Tips
What tomatoes to use? If you have time and want to make something truly amazing, you can use fresh tomatoes instead. Head over to my pasta melanzane recipe to see how to de-skin tomatoes and prepare them for the sauce.
If you opt for the tinned variety like I did, make sure to choose the best quality you can find. The Italian tomatoes that are grown in Campagna and Puglia are known for being grown outside and ripened in the sun which of course results in beautiful full flavor.
And please look for a BPA-free tin variety if you can.
📝 Recipe Ingredients & Notes
- Spaghetti. We love spaghetti with this spicy sauce, but you can choose any other variety you like, such as fusilli, tagliatelle or penne pasta.
- Tomatoes. I used peeled canned San Marzano tomatoes to make this sauce, but any canned tomatoes will work.
- Fresh basil. This ingredient is essential as it gives this pasta dish a lot of flavor, so please do not substitute it with dried basil.
- Garlic cloves. Fresh is the best and garlic powder won’t work, sorry!
- Chillies. Arrabbiata is a spicy Italian sauce and there is no way to make it without using chilies. Look for large whole chilies at the supermarket.
- Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano). Apparently, in Italy, spaghetti with arrabbiata sauce is not served with parmesan cheese, but I am not quite sure that it is true. I remember enjoying a lot of Parmigiano Reggiano with my pasta when I visited Italy. So I guess it is up to you whether you want to serve it with or without Parmesan cheese. You know what I think about it, don’t you?
- Sea salt and good quality fresh black pepper to season.
- Olive oil. Last but not least, we will need some good-quality extra virgin olive oil. While 6 tablespoons might sound like a lot, do not fear, this is a kind of fat you want to incorporate into your diet. It is especially beneficial when paired with fresh tomatoes. Yes, the Mediterranean diet has its little delicious secrets.
See the full list of ingredients in the recipe card 👆
👩🍳 How to Make Spaghetti Arrabiata
This classic Italian dish could be the simplest pasta recipe on my blog.
STEP 1: Start by boiling water in a large saucepan.
STEP 2: Heat some extra virgin olive oil in a large frying pan or Dutch oven. Once the oil is hot, fry the garlic over medium heat until the garlic gets a nice golden color.
STEP 3: Add the dry chilies and fry them for a couple of minutes.
STEP 4: Now add tomatoes along with tomato juice and cook them for about 20 minutes over low heat until the sauce has thickened. Stir occasionally.
STEP 5: While the tomatoes are simmering away, cook the spaghetti according to the packaging instructions or until the pasta is al dente. By the way, al dente means, firm to bite. So please don’t overcook it.
STEP 6: Once the spaghetti is al dente, drain and transfer the cooked pasta back into the pot. Sprinkle some olive oil and add the fresh basil leaves. Mix everything well to combine.
STEP 7: Now transfer the pasta into the frying pan with the arrabiata pasta sauce. Keep the frying pan on low heat, and toss the spaghetti until every bit is covered with this delicious sauce.
- Serve with some freshly grated parmesan cheese and some extra basil leaves. Enjoy!
If you tried this Creamy Bow Tie Pasta Salad With Crispy Pancetta or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Thank you! Elena
So delicious and full of flavor!
Thanks, Jess, glad you enjoyed it.
SO DELICIOUS and easy to make!
So easy to make. Thanks, Jacqui!
Yum, I love how easy this was to make and full of flavor! Since my child liked it too, it will definitely be in the dinner rotation.
My kids love it too. Just a little fewer chilies 😉
This is a great quick and easy meal that is cost-effective.
who doesn’t love a good spaghetti Arrabiata recipe. this one always hits home and everyone loves
this spaghetti arrabiata is so incredible! Perfect flavor and easy to make!
Draußen regnet es,es is kalt und ich mochte was warmes und leckeres ,gerade das richtige Rezept.