Today, I’m sharing one of my favorite weeknight meals—fettuccine tossed in a creamy, homemade arrabbiata sauce. This rich and flavorful sauce brings just the right amount of heat, balanced by velvety cream for the perfect indulgent bite. Pair it with a side of cheesy roasted garlic bread, and you’ve got a slightly elevated yet relatively easy meal—ideal for weeknight dinners, date nights, girls’ nights, and every occasion in between.
What is Arrabbiata Sauce?
The word arrabbiata literally translates to ‘angry’ in Italian—an ode to the spicy kick of this sauce. Traditionally, it’s a tomato-based sauce infused with flavor from red chili flakes. In this recipe, I’ll be mixing the classic spicy red sauce with some heavy cream and Parmesan cheese to turn it into a rich blush sauce.
You can control just how “angry” your arrabbiata sauce gets by adjusting the amount of red chili flakes. I start with a moderate amount of ground red chili flakes and do a couple taste tests as the sauce simmers, keeping in mind that the heavy cream and Parmesan will naturally mellow out the spice.
Homemade Arrabbiata Sauce Ingredients:
Crushed Tomatoes and Tomato Paste: Crushed tomatoes serve as the base for this sauce, while tomato paste adds an even deeper tomato flavor. Since I prefer a smoother consistency, I pulse the crushed tomatoes in the food processor 6-7 times before adding them to the pot.
No crushed tomatoes on hand? Use fire-roasted or regular diced tomatoes instead—just pulse them 12-15 times in the food processor (or until they reach your desired consistency). As I mentioned, I am not a fan of chunky tomatoes in this sauce!
Onion and Garlic: Finely diced sweet onion and freshly pressed garlic cloves are sautéed in avocado oil to start off this sauce.
Red Chili Flakes: I start with 1/2 tsp of ground red chili flakes and adjust as needed. If you are particularly sensitive to spice, I recommend starting with an even lesser amount. Also, keep in mind that the heavy cream and cheese will mellow out the spice once added to the sauce.
I prefer grinding the red chili flakes before adding them to the sauce for a smoother texture. If you don’t mind the occasional whole chili flake, you can skip this step.
Seasonings: Dried oregano and basil, along with a bit of garlic and onion powder add depth and enhance the overall flavor of the sauce.
Sugar: Adding a small amount of sugar balances out the acidity of the tomatoes.
Water: Adding a couple cups of water to the sauce before it simmers allows the flavors to really develop as it reduces.
Heavy Cream and Parmesan: These two ingredients transform this arrabbiata into a creamy blush sauce.
Tips & Tricks:
- Want a more traditional arrabbiata? Skip the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese for a classic, dairy-free version.
- If you do not have crushed tomatoes on hand, use diced tomatoes and pulse them 12-15 times in the food processor to break them down (or until there are no large chunks).
- While I like using fettuccine for this recipe, feel free to sub in rigatoni, penne, or your personal favorite pasta shape!
This creamy arrabbiata pasta is one of my favorites, and it might just become one of yours too. Read on for the recipe, then make sure to leave a rating and review once you have tried this spicy pasta for yourself!
Homemade Creamy Arrabbiata Pasta (Spicy Pasta)
Equipment (Shop on Amazon)
- 2QT GreenPan Saucepan With Lid
- Pyrex Measuring Cups I use a 4-cup one for this recipe
Ingredients
Creamy Arrabbiata Sauce
- 3 tbsp avocado oil
- ½ medium sweet onion finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic pressed
- ½ tsp ground red chili flakes
- 2 14.5 oz cans of crushed tomatoes fire-roasted or regular
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese
Fettuccine
- 1 box fettuccine (16 oz)
- 1 tbsp salt or to taste
- Fresh basil (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the avocado oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the finely diced sweet onion, garlic, and ground red chili flakes. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft and translucent. Be careful not to burn the garlic.3 tbsp avocado oil, ½ medium sweet onion, 3 cloves garlic, ½ tsp ground red chili flakes
- While the onion mixture is cooking, pour both cans of crushed tomatoes into a food processor. Pulse 7-8 times, or until the tomatoes reach your desired consistency. Then, add the crushed tomatoes to the saucepan and stir to combine.2 14.5 oz cans of crushed tomatoes
- Stir in the tomato paste, oregano, basil, sugar, garlic powder, and onion powder until well combined. Cook the sauce for 3-4 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring frequently.¼ cup tomato paste, 1½ tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp dried basil, 1 tbsp granulated sugar, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp onion powder
- Pour in 2 cups of water and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Reduce the heat to low/medium-low. Cover the sauce and allow it to cook for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.2 cups water
- Once the sauce has been cooking for about 15 minutes, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.1 tbsp salt
- Once the water is boiling, add the fettuccine and cook according to package instructions (my favorite takes around 13-14 minutes).1 box fettuccine (16 oz)
- While the pasta is cooking, add the heavy cream and parmesan cheese to the arrabbiata sauce. Stir well. Make sure your heat is turned all the way down to low so as to not scorch the cream.1 cup heavy cream, 1 cup Parmesan cheese
- Drain the fettuccine and immediately pour it into the creamy arrabbiata sauce. Stir well to coat the pasta evenly. Serve right away.
- Optional—Chiffonade a few leaves of fresh basil for a pop of flavor and color! (Chiffonade is just a fancy term for rolling up the leaves of basil and cutting them into really thin pieces or shreds.)Fresh basil
Notes from the Happy To Be Here Kitchen
Cook With Me on Instagram
Share This Recipe:
Recommended Recipes For You:
Another elevated everyday pasta: 30-Minute Decadent Mushroom Truffle Pappardelle Pasta
The perfect side for pasta night: Cheesy Roasted Garlic Bread
Pin the image below to come back to this recipe later.
