Arrabbiata is anger in a sauce: arrabbiata means "angry", and it's the chilli that sets the tone. Tomato, garlic, plenty of peperoncino, a little olive oil, parsley to finish — nothing else. It's the great Roman weeknight dish: bold, lively, no detours, ready in the time the pasta water comes to the boil. The heat doesn't crush the tomato, it wakes it up.
For busy nights we put it in a jar without betraying it: our Madre Terra Sugo all'arrabbiata keeps the real tomato and real chilli for a true arrabbiata in ten minutes, the time it takes to cook the bronze-cut penne rigate from Libera Terra — organic, grown on land returned to farming in southern Italy. Their rough surface and ridges grip this sauce like no smooth pasta can. And because it's a dish with nothing to hide behind, we finish it with a drizzle of raw Madre Terra olive oil. Below, both routes: the full recipe, and the jar shortcut.
Ingredients
- 400 g Libera Terra penne rigate
- 4 tbsp Madre Terra extra virgin olive oil, plus a drizzle to serve
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1-2 fresh red chillies, or 1 good pinch of dried chilli (peperoncino), to taste
- 400 g chopped tomatoes or passata
- 1 small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- salt
Method
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil and salt generously. Cook the penne al dente per the packet time.
- Meanwhile, warm the olive oil over low heat in a large pan. Add the sliced garlic and the chilli and let them infuse for 2-3 minutes — the garlic should turn pale gold, never brown, while the chilli scents the oil.
- Pour in the chopped tomatoes, salt lightly, and simmer 8-10 minutes over medium heat, until the sauce thickens and glistens.
- Taste: this is the moment to adjust the chilli. Arrabbiata should bite clearly, without masking the tomato.
- Before draining, reserve a ladle of pasta water. Tip the drained penne into the pan, add a little pasta water and toss vigorously for 1 minute to coat every piece.
- Add the chopped parsley, toss once more, and serve at once with a final drizzle of raw Madre Terra olive oil.
The move that changes everything: infuse the chilli in cold oil, not in already-hot sauce. Over low heat, the peperoncino releases its heat into the oil without scorching — and it's the oil that carries the whole dish. Throw it into boiling tomato and it bites without scenting. In a hurry? Skip steps 2 to 4 and warm a jar of Madre Terra Sugo all'arrabbiata instead while the pasta cooks: the same tomato, the same chilli, without the chopping board.
More: arrabbiata is the chilli of the shared table — the dish that livens up a dinner and gets everyone talking.
Discover the Madre Terra Sugo all'arrabbiataFrequently asked
How much chilli?
As much as you can take — that's the whole point of the dish. Start with one fresh chilli or a good pinch of dried, then taste at the end of cooking and adjust. Arrabbiata should bite clearly, never burn so much it covers the tomato. Our Madre Terra Sugo all'arrabbiata is dosed to bite just right.
Penne or another pasta?
Penne rigate is the pasta of arrabbiata, and that's no accident: its ridges and bronze-cut surface hold the sauce, which lodges inside the tube. A smooth pasta lets it slide off. Our Libera Terra penne are made for this.
Jar or homemade?
Both are real. The from-scratch recipe for the pleasure of the gesture on a night you have time; the Madre Terra Sugo all'arrabbiata for busy nights — same tomato, same chilli, ready in the time the pasta cooks.