Ingredients needed
Canned tomatoes. I used whole canned tomatoes but you can use crushed or chopped tomatoes too. Use San Marzano tomatoes if possible. Onion. Fresh garlic cloves. Extra-virgin olive oil. Red pepper flakes/chilli flakes. Salt and black pepper. Fresh basil. Other herbs like fresh parsley, oregano and thyme are also delicious with tomatoes.
How to make arrabiata sauce
Sauté the onion and garlic in a few tablespoons of olive oil in a medium pot/saucepan set over medium heat. Once fragrant, add the tomatoes. I squeeze the tomatoes to roughly crush them but you can give them a quick chop in a food processor too. I prefer arrabiata sauce to be slightly chunkier than Pomodoro sauce or marinara sauce so I don’t blend the tomatoes too finely. Fill each can half with water to rinse out any extra tomato juice in the cans then pour into the pot. Add a generous pinch of salt, pepper and red pepper flakes and a large handful of basil. Cover the pot with a lid and bring to a boil. Simmer with the lid ajar for 30 minutes, stir with a wooden spoon regularly to prevent the source from catching and burning, until the sauce has reduced slightly. Season to taste (if the sauce is very acidic, balance with a teaspoon of sugar) then serve.
Can I make this ahead?
Yes, arrabiata sauce is a great sauce to make in advance. Cook the sauce as directed then allow to cool and transfer to an airtight container, mason jars or freezer bags. The sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week or canned using proper canning techniques. I love freezing this sauce for up to 4 months – especially handy once tomato season is over.
Serving suggestions
Serve the sauce over al dente pasta (penne, spaghetti, linguine or fusilli are our favorites) topped with fresh basil leaves and parmesan cheese for an easy weeknight meal. The sauce is also delicious used with meatballs, fish or chicken and will make a great pizza sauce.
Cheesy baked meatballs. Seared fish in puttanesca sauce. Creamy chicken in tomato sauce.
Easy Tomato Sauce Recipes
Pomodoro Sauce Roasted Tomato Sauce Tomato Cream Sauce Marinara Sauce Puttanesca Sauce
