Penne Arrabbiata - The Plant Based School (2024)

Penne arrabbiata is an Italian dish famous for its simplicity, comforting taste, and spicy tomato sauce.

It’s excellent as a weeknight dinner, as you can make it with simple ingredients like canned tomatoes, garlic, chili, and parsley in less than 30 minutes.

Table of Contents

• What is Penne Arrabbiata?
• Penne Arrabbiata video
• How to Make Penne Arrabbiata
• Serving Suggestions
• Variations
• Tips
• Questions
• More Easy Pasta Recipes
• More Recipes with Tomato Sauce
• Penne Arrabbiata Recipe

Dietary Note: this recipe is suitable for a vegetarian and vegan diet. For gluten-free, use gluten-free pasta.

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Penne arrabbiata (Penne all’arrabbiata in Italian) is a spicy tomato-based pasta dish from the Rieti province in Italy, in the Lazio region, near Rome.

Arrabbiata means angry in Italian. The name comes from the dish’s spiciness, which, by the way, you can adjust to your taste.

And as with most of their traditional recipes, Italians have strict rules about what goes in it and what doesn’t.

But of course, we are here to break those rules, make my Italian friends “arrabbiati” (no pun intended), and turn this traditional primo piatto into a delicious high-protein vegetarian dinner.

To do so, we rely on plant-based sausage, but you can use any sausage. We used plant-based sausage before in our orecchiette with broccoli rabe, and you guys loved it.

If you prefer to stick to the traditional penne all’arrabbiata recipe from Italy, you must omit the sausage.

But if you like comforting Italian flavors repackaged in a modern and nutritionally complete meal, you’ll love this tasty arrabbiata recipe.

US cups + grams measurements in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

Make the arrabbiata sauce

Add the whole canned peeled tomatoes to a mixing bowl. Rinse the can with water and add that too. Chop the tomatoes into smaller pieces with scissors.

Next, minced the garlic and finely chop the red chili.

Tip: you can also crush the tomatoes with your hands.

Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet. Add minced garlic and finely chopped chili or red pepper flakes and sauté on low heat for 1 to 2 minutes without burning the garlic.

Add the tomatoes, season with salt, and simmer on medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Taste and adjust for salt and chili before adding the pasta.

Add the sausage (optional)

Peel the plant-based sausage and break it into small bite-size pieces.

As you do so, apply pressure with your fingers to compact each piece.

Sauté the plant-based sausage bits with extra virgin olive oil, a clove of crushed garlic, and a few twists of black pepper for 5 minutes or until browned. Set aside.

Tip: We cook the plant-based sausage separately and add it to the sauce later so that the bits stay crisp and don’t get soggy.

Boil the pasta

Cook the pasta while the arrabbiata sauce and the sausage cook.

Boil the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water as per package instructions minus 1 minute.

Tip: We want the pasta to be slightly undercooked as we finish cooking it in the arrabbiata sauce.

Toss pasta, sausage, and sauce

Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, drain the pasta, and add it to the arrabbiata sauce.

Add the sausage and chopped parsley and toss well. Add 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water and finish cooking while tossing for about 1 minute or until the pasta is al dente.

Penne arrabbiata with plant-based sausage is a complete meal with all macronutrients, including protein.

You can serve it with a simple side salad or with a side of roasted veggies. For example, try it with a side of:

• Pear salad
• Fennel and orange salad
• Kale salad
• Butternut squash salad
• Green bean salad
• Zucchini salad
• Cucumber tomato salad
• Panzanella salad
• Arugula salad
• Artichoke salad
• Italian salad

Traditional penne all’arrabbiata

It’s the same recipe but without the sausage. It’s a quick and delicious primo piatto packed with flavor and with a spicy kick.

Rigatoni Arrabbiata

Another delicious way of serving arrabbiata sauce is with chewy rigatoni. Check out our recipe for rigatoni arrabbiata recipe.

Tips

Undercook the pasta

Draining the pasta 1 to 2 minutes before it’s fully cooked allows you to finish cooking it in the pan with the sauce. The pasta will stay al dente, with a bite, and the final dish will be creamier and more cohesive.

Add the parsley stems to the hot oil

You can do this to infuse more parsley flavor into the hot oil. Remember to remove the stems from the pan before adding the tomatoes.

How to cook pasta?

You’ll need a large pot of salted water as follows:

• 8 ounces of pasta (230 grams): cook pasta in 2 quarts of boiling water (8 cups or 2 Liters) with 1 tablespoon of salt (15 grams). Serves 2 – 3 people.
• 12 ounces of pasta (340 grams): cook pasta in 3 quarts of boiling water (12 cups or 3 Liters) with 1 ½ tablespoons of salt (21 grams). Serves 4 people.
• 1 pound of pasta (450 grams): cook pasta in 1 gallon of boiling water (16 cups or 4 Liters) with 2 tablespoons of salt (30 grams). Serves 5-6 people.

Make ahead: As with most pasta dishes, arrabbiata is best eaten after it is cooked, so we don’t recommend it for meal prep.

Refrigerator: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Freezer: This recipe is not suitable for freezing.

Reheat: warm leftovers in the microwave for 2 minutes or on a skillet with a splash of olive oil and water. Avoid reheating the pasta multiple times, as it will overcook.

Get some ideas and inspiration with these easy and tasty pasta recipes.

• Broccoli pasta
• Mushroom pasta
• Hummus pasta
• Lentil bolognese
• Kale pasta
• Mushroom Alfredo
• Lemon pasta
• Lemon ricotta pasta
• Roasted red pepper pasta
• Creamy pasta salad
• Vegan pasta salad
• White bean aglio olio

Or check out our compilation with 40+ Easy Pasta Recipes.

Get more Italian-inspired dinner inspiration with these vegetarian meals:

• Marina sauce
• Tofu meatballs
• Eggplant Parmigiana
• Pasta e ceci
• Tuscan bean stew
• Zucchini fritters dipped in marinara sauce
• Sautéed eggplant
• Gnocchi alla Sorrentina

For many more pasta ideas, check out our pasta category page.