Arrabbiata Sauce | Spicy Italian Pasta Sauce | Rao's Arrabbiata Copycat
Made from scratch!
Posted By Savita
Sharing with you spicy, aromatic, and scrumptious Pasta Sauce that will make your Italian Pasta Dinner even more special!
I'm a big fan of tomato based pasta sauces. I think it is all for my love of tomatoes! So, a jar of Arrabbiata is always in my refrigerator. For those who are new to word Arrabbiata - Arrabbiata Sauce is a tomato sauce flavored with some Italian spices and provides a spicy kick of red pepper in every bite! Not unbearable kick, yet a pleasant zesty experience!
I fell for Arrabbiata in my early days of Italian Food Exploration in US :) Whenever we dined at a local Italian Restaurant, their Arrabbiata sauce just made us crave for Italian pasta dinner whole week!! Being super-fan of spicy, hot food, it became our favorite dinner on Friday's night out! We not wanted anything but penne all arrabbiata!!! yummm every time!!
And then it happened..... once I brought a part of leftover penne alla arrabbiata home from such a dinner night out and left in refrigerator! In morning, I was surprised to see a cake of fat frozen on the top of arrabbiata! that was a big no-no! Don't get me wrong, I love restaurant food! but I just can't bear overuse of fat to make food delicious! Every restaurant tries to make food luscious and delicious with fat and extra dose of spices! and everyone likes it! We liked that arrabbiata for a long time due to it's silky, aromatic, and hearty taste! Yet, I think restaurant should be more transparent about the excessive use of fat...
Conclusion?
First, that was the last time we ever ate in that restaurant.
Second, I started making or buying a less-fat organic arrabbiata sauce with most natural ingredients!
In store bought pasta sauce, Rao's Arrabbiata Sauce is one famous name! To me, it is one of THE best store bought sauce I have ever used. All natural ingredients, not artificial preservatives, and delicious taste every time, pretty close to homemade. Whenever, I'm not making homemade arrabbiata, I love bringing a jar of this sauce for delicious and spicy Italian Pasta dinner.
Today's arrabbiata recipe is copycat of Rao's Arrabbiata! This recipe is my low-and-slow, taste-and-try test to achieve quality and taste like Rao's! Surely, the tasty magic of Rao's spicy and fresh arrabbiata sauce at home. Only difference is, I have just kept the sauce a little chunky vs Rao's sauce is less chunky.
Now Let's Talk Diet!
Gluten Free - Arrabbiata sauce is gluten free. You can buy gluten free pasta to serve it gluten free way!
Vegan - It is also vegan. No dairy or animal products used. No butter or saturated fats. Just olive oil...
This sauce is also nut-free, soy-free, low-fat, and can be paleo if you don't use sugar. (Amount of sugar depends on acidity level of tomatoes. Always adjust per taste.)
If you like Italian food and tomato sauces like I do, I bet arrabbiata will be your new favorite once you try this sauce!
Sauce is ready! It is time to boil some pasta! Buon Appetito!!
Cheers to Italian Dinner at home!
~Savita
Like pasta with tomato sauce? then you will love these recipes -
Ingredients
- 3.5 Cup Tomatoes (1, 26 ounce can of crushed San Marzano tomatoes in juice)
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Basil (dried, or fresh 4-5 leaves)
- Salt and Black Pepper (per taste)
- 1 tsp Sugar (optional, adjust per taste)
- 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (and 1 whole red chili pepper, broken in half)
- 1 tbsp Garlic (2 cloves, fine chopped)
- 1/3 Cup White Onion (or white onion, small diced)
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
Directions
-
1. Heat oil in heavy bottom saute pan! -
2. Add onion, broken whole pepper, and saute until starts to brown at edges, add minced garlic, and oregano, basil (if using dried, fresh only add at the end) and cook for 30 seconds. Don't let garlic burn. -
3. Add canned tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and sugar. (remove whole pepper) Stir to bring to boil. When sauce starts bubbling, bring heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring once every 5 minutes, until oil has separated and showing on the sides. -
4. Taste and adjust salt. If using fresh basil, add it now. Use it make Penne Alla Arrabbiata pasta or store in an air-tight container in refrigerator for 1 week.
Savita's Recipe Notes:
If you can't find San Marzano tomatoes, use any good quality canned tomatoes. If you can't find tomatoes with juice, add 1/4 of cup of unsweetened tomato juice.
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