Arrabbiata is an easy spicy tomato sauce with garlic, fennel seeds, and chili flakes. Rigatoni Arrabbiata is a simple and easy weeknight dinner with only 8 ingredients.
This recipe is loosely based on an Ina Garten recipe. This pasta is hearty and fresh. I added a little Italian pork sausage to round everything out.
Pair your rigatoni arrabbiata with an Italian salad kit or garlic bread.
Why you will love arrabbiata rigatoni
• This homemade sauce is easy to make and tastes fresh
• The added Italian sausage helps to round out the meal
• Rigatoni is the perfect pasta for this arrabbiata sauce
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🥘 Ingredients
Italian Sausage: you can use hot or regular; if you can only find Italian sausage, link cut the meat out of the casing
Olive Oil: traditionally, arrabbiata sauce has more olive oil, but I reduced the amount to lighten up the dish
Garlic: this sauce is garlicky, but not too garlicky
Fennel Seed: traditional Italian flavor
Red Pepper Flakes: start off with ½ teaspoon and add more if needed
Canned Whole Peeled Tomatoes: I used San Marzano Whole Tomatoes
Rigatoni: pasta of choice
Parmesan Cheese: to top the dish
🔪 How to Make Rigatoni Arrabbiata with Sausage
1. Blend Tomatoes: Blend tomatoes in a blender till smooth.
2. Cook Sausage: Brown your Italian sausage in a large skillet. Add olive oil and garlic. Cook until it becomes fragrant.
3. Make Sauce: Add blended tomatoes, fennel, red pepper flakes, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
4. Simmer: Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
5. Add Pasta: Meanwhile, cook your pasta as directed on the packaging. Add pasta to the skillet. If the sauce is too thick, thin it out with pasta water.
6. Serve: Serve and top with parmesan cheese!
Substitutions
Whole peeled canned tomatoes retain flavor better than crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce. Using whole tomatoes will give you the best-tasting sauce. That said if you don’t feel like blending tomatoes, you can use canned tomato sauce.
How to Store
If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. This pasta microwaves pretty well. You shouldn’t have a problem with it drying out.
🙋♀️ FAQ
It is a spicy Italian tomato sauce with garlic, olive oil, and red chili flakes. Pasta Arrabbiata translates to angry pasta because of the spiciness of the pasta.
Both are made with tomatoes, garlic, and herbs, but marinara is a little sweeter while arrabbiata is a little spicer.
👩🍳Tips & Tricks
This pasta is Italian Spicy, which means it's not super spicy, but it does have a kick. Start with ½ teaspoon of chili flakes and adjust from there. The goal is to feel the heat without tasting like you're eating pasta covered in salsa.
The longer the sauce cooks the better it tastes. 30 minutes may seem long, but the flavors are melding together in that time. If you need to get dinner on the tables ASAP 15 minutes will work.
❤ Recipe
Rigatoni Arrabbiata with Sausage
Rigatoni Arrabbiata has a spicy tomato sauce with garlic, fennel seeds, and chili flakes. It's an easy weeknight family dinner with 8 ingredients.
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
Ingredients
- 28 ounces of whole peeled tomatoes, I used San Marzano Tomatoes
- ½ pound Italian sausage, hot or regular
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed
- ½- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Salt to taste
- ¾ pound rigatoni pasta
- parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Blend tomatoes in a blender until smooth.
- Over medium heat, brown your sausage in a large skillet.
- Add olive oil; once hot, add minced garlic. Cook until the garlic becomes fragrant- 2 minutes. Do not let it burn.
- Add blended tomatoes, fennel, red pepper flakes, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and let it simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook your pasta as directed on the packaging. Reserve ¼ cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta.
- When the sauce is done, add pasta to the sauce. If the sauce is too thick, thin it out with pasta water one tablespoon at a time.
- Serve and top with parmesan cheese!
Notes
Nutrition estimates do no include parmesan cheese
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Serving
- Calories: 560
- Sugar: 7.3g
- Fat: 23.6g
- Saturated Fat: 5.1g
- Carbohydrates: 67.4g
- Fiber: 3.9g
- Protein: 19.5g
Keywords: Rigatoni Arrabbiata with Sausage, Pasta, Arrabbiata Sauce
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!