Arrabbiata sauce for pasta: a hot tomato based sauce

Arrabbiata sauce is a fiery tomato based sauce, guaranteed to give a kick to any pasta dish. The name is derived from the Italian word for "angry" due to the heat and spiciness of the chillis (arrabbiata is sometimes written "arrabiata"). It is quick and easy to make and could quickly become one of your go to sauces. This homemade arrabbiata sauce tastes far better than any shop bought version I have tried and is much cheaper too. Once you have tried it you may wonder why you hadn't made it before. In a nutshell it is simple to make, tasty and cheap too. What could be better!

Ingredients

• 1 medium red onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 large red chilli
• One 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• A few fresh basil leaves
• Dash of olive oil
• Salt and pepper

How to make arrabbiata sauce

Chop the onion and finely chop the garlic and chilli.

Heat the oil in a large pan and gently cook the onion, garlic and chilli.

Add the chopped tomatoes and salt and pepper and stir.

Bring to the boil and simmer without a lid for about 20 minutes to cook and allow the flavours to mingle.

Tear a few fresh basil leaves and stir into the sauce. The sauce is now ready to serve or can be blended to create a smooth sauce if preferred.

Tips

Arrabbiata sauce can be served immediately, stored in the fridge for a few days or can be made in bulk and frozen to save time another day. The sauce can be defrosted in a microwave if needed at short notice.

The sauce can be served with a variety of meals. Whilst it is often served with penne pasta, it can also be used to spice up roast vegetables or dishes with pulses.