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This weeknight-friendly Arrabbiata pasta with pappardelle recipe is a quick, simple way to refine pasta night without making things complicated. You’ll love having a from-scratch sauce up your sleeve that tastes high effort, but is ready in just 30 minutes.
This 30-minute spicy arrabbiata pasta is bold, garlicky, and exactly what you want when dinner needs a little heat. A classic Italian tomato sauce made with olive oil, crushed red pepper flakes, and plenty of garlic coats wide ribbons of pappardelle for a pasta that’s fiery, fast, and satisfying.
Traditionally served with penne, arrabbiata sauce clings beautifully to pappardelle pasta, turning this simple spicy tomato sauce into something a little more dramatic. It’s the kind of weeknight Italian dinner that tastes like it simmered all afternoon, but comes together in about 30 minutes.
Looking for more easy weeknight pasta recipes? Try my 15-minute spaghetti aglio e olio or this tasty clam pasta.
Table of Contents
What Is Arrabbiata Sauce?
Arrabbiata sauce, which originated in Rome, is a spicy Italian tomato sauce traditionally made with olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and tomatoes. The name “arrabbiata” means “angry” in Italian, referring to the heat from the chili peppers. The heat, although more of a warm “kick” than an overwhelming burn, is what sets it apart from a milder, sweeter marinara sauce. It’s typically served with pasta and finished with fresh parsley or Pecorino Romano.
Why Pappardelle Is Perfect for Arrabbiata Sauce
- Wide surface area—which offers a lot of space for that delicious sauce to cling to.
- Texture—fat and chewy noodles feel more substantial.
Ingredient Overview
A quick look at the essentials before we dive into the recipe card:
- Pappardelle pasta: I’ve strayed from the usual penne to offer a more substantial, slurp-worthy way to enjoy arrabbiata sauce.
- Crushed red pepper flakes: These are what bring the heat. You can add less for a milder take, but this recipe offers more of a “kick”, not an eye-popping heat.
- Anchovy fillets: These little gems add a nice layer of umami to the sauce, just like in puttanesca sauce, without a fishy taste.
- Burrata: Optional, but highly recommended. I serve it over the pappardelle to add richness and cut through the heat a little.
Step-By-Step: How to Make Spicy Arrabbiata Pasta with Pappardelle
Step 1: Start Sautéing
Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, and sauté for about 5 minutes. Hit them with a pinch of salt. Add the garlic, crushed chili flakes, and anchovies. Stir, and let everything simmer for another minute or so, until the garlic is fragrant.
Step 2: Add the Broth and Tomatoes
Stir the tomato paste and vegetable broth into the saucepan. Make sure the tomato paste has completely dissolved. Bring to a simmer, then add the crushed tomatoes, fresh herbs, and some extra crushed chilis if you’d like.
Step 3: Let It Simmer
Simmer on low, uncovered, for about 10 minutes. Once the sauce is ready, decide whether to serve it as is, with a chunkier texture, or to blend it with an immersion blender for a smoother texture.
If blending your sauce, you can do it right in the saucepan. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can transfer the sauce to a blender and pulse it until you reach your preferred consistency.
When done, remove your sauce from the heat and cover.
Step 4: Cook the Pappardelle
Cook the pappardelle pasta according to the package directions until al dente. Drain and set it aside in a large pot.
Step 5: Toss the Pasta in the Sauce
Taste the sauce and add more salt if necessary. (The anchovies will add some saltiness, so you don’t have to be as heavy with the salt in this recipe.) Spoon the sauce over the pappardelle noodles and gently toss to coat. Transfer the pappardelle to bowls, pop some burrata on top of each serving, and finish with an extra sprinkle of crushed chili peppers, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and a few sprigs of fresh basil.
Substitutions & Variations
- Without Anchovies: If you don’t like anchovies, you can use finely chopped pancetta or, to keep it meatless, minced capers.
- Kid-Friendly Version: Tone down the heat by adding less crushed red pepper flakes.
- Make It High Protein: Top the pasta with sautéed shrimp or grilled chicken. You could also stir in leftover slow-cooker pulled pork if you have some on hand.
- Extra Veggies: For more veg, add some ribboned baby spinach, chopped mushrooms, or grated zucchini.
What to Serve With It
Storage, Freezing, & Reheating
- Fridge: Leftover arrabbiata sauce can be stored in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can store leftover sauced pasta the same way.
- Freezer: Let the sauce cool completely, then transfer to freezer-safe storage. I like using these silicone freezer trays. The sauce will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Transfer to the fridge the night before to thaw.
- Reheat: To reheat the sauce alone, transfer it to a small saucepan and warm over medium-low heat until warmed through. If you’re reheating leftover pappardelle pasta with arrabbiata, transfer the pasta to a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat. Add a bit of extra sauce to the pasta to liven it up.
Simple Pappardelle with Arrabbiata Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 oz pappardelle pasta
- 1-2 TBSP olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced (about 1.5 cups)
- 3 cloves of garlic, smashed, peeled, and thinly sliced
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (more or less depending on your heat preference)
- 3 anchovy fillets, minced
- 2 TBSP tomato paste
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1 14.5 oz can of crushed tomatoes (preferably San Marzano, or another high quality variety)
- 1 TBSP chopped fresh basil
- 1 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
- Pinch of sea salt, more to taste if necessary
- 8 oz burrata, drained
Instructions
- Heat up the olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan. When the olive oil is hot enough, add the onions and sauté them, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes—or until they're sweating and translucent. Add a pinch of salt.
- Then, add the garlic, crushed chili flakes, and anchovies to the saucepan. Stir everything well and let it all simmer for another minute or so, until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the tomato paste and vegetable broth, and stir until the tomato paste has dissolved and everything is simmering.
- Bring the crushed tomatoes to the saucepan along with the fresh herbs and some more crushed red pepper if you'd like.
- Bring the sauce to a simmer and let it simmer on low for about 10 minutes. While the sauce is cooking, cook the noodles. Drain and set them aside in a large pot.
- Taste the sauce and, if necessary, add more salt. Once the sauce is seasoned to your preference, you can serve it as is if you like a chunkier sauce. If you like a smoother sauce like I do, blend it with an immersion blender, until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Spoon the sauce over the pappardelle noodles and gently toss them around to coat them. Transfer the pappardelle to bowls, place about a tablespoon or so of burrata on top, and finish things off with an extra sprinkle of crushed red peppers, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and a few sprigs of fresh basil.
Delicious and easy!
Excellent! I really loved how it can be made with mostly pantry staples so it’s good to throw together in a pinch. About the only thing I wouldn’t have immediately on hand is the burrata, but as mentioned ricotta can also do. My only quibble is the serving size: depending on the size of your appetite, I would call this maybe 3 entree sized portions at most. For a side, it could definitely be 4-6 portions. So you might want to double the recipe depending on the size of your family and their appetites. Thanks for the great recipe!
Absolutely loved it! Easy and flavorful!
I’m so happy to hear this! Thanks for popping in with feedback :)
Can we rate this higher than 5 stars!? Absolutely love pasta, will now be a staple
Hahaha, I’ll take the 5 :) Thank you!
Excellent sauce. I imagine it would work with any pasta but I really do love pappardelle. My teenage boys asked me to make this again. I’ll have to double the recipe because they could have certainly eaten more!
This sauce would definitely work with any pasta. I’m so happy this was a hit at your house!
I made this pasta for dinner last night and it was fantastic! Super flavor- my new go to pasta recipe!