When it comes to Italian dishes, I’ve never been a huge fan of marinara sauce. I usually gravitate towards the creamy sauces or herb-based sauces. But on my last trip to Italy, I had the most amazing Penne Arrabiata, otherwise known as a spicy marinara sauce. In fact, it was so good that we found ourselves going back to the same resturant to have the same dish more than once. When we got back home, I knew I had to try and recreate a version of Penne Arrabiata that matched in flavors to the one we had in Italy.
The main ingredients for any Penne Arrabiata are tomatoes, garlic, basil, and red chili. So instead of using a new recipe, I thought of making the sauce from this Stuffed Shells w/Feta & Herbs recipe, which I absolutely love. The only changes I made were to add more spice and add feta cheese to the sauce. Toss it with some Penne pasta and fresh basil and I had myself a tasty Italian dish with a nice kick to it. Next time I plan on adding sauteed mushrooms.
For a gluten-free version, use any brand of gluten-free pasta, such as brown rice pasta or quinoa pasta. For the vegan option, simply omit the feta cheese.
Penne Arrabiata
This spicy fresh tomato sauce filled with fresh herbs makes the perfect sauce to pour over your favorite pasta!
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 320kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 1/4 cup olive oil or vegan butter
- 1 cup white onions , chopped
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 teasp dried red crushed pepper
- 56 oz. Italian Plum Tomatoes , 2 28-oz. cans (or can chopped Italian tomatoes)
- 1 cup fresh basil , chopped
- 1/4 teasp sugar , to taste
- salt/pepper
- 8-12 oz. Penne Pasta
INSTRUCTIONS
To Prepare Sauce:
- Heat butter or oil in heavy saucepan. Add onions and garlic and cook for 5 min.
- Add red crushed pepper and saute for 30 sec.
- Add tomatoes. Simmer until the sauce is reduced and mash some of the tomatoes (~ 1 hour). In the meantime, you can start to cook the penne pasta.
- Season with salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Add 1 cup chopped fresh basil. Mix and cook for another 5-10 minutes on low heat.
To Prepare Pasta:
- Boil the Penne Pasta al dente.
- Add the pasta to the sauce. I usually like a generous serving of sauce compared to my pasta. Top the pasta with freshly ground black pepper and garnish with fresh chopped basil. Serve hot with home-made garlic bread.
NOTES
Gluten-free Option - use your favorite GF pasta such as brown rice pasta, quinoa pasta, or lentil pasta.
NUTRITION
Calories: 320kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 353mg | Potassium: 918mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 780IU | Vitamin C: 27.6mg | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 4.2mg
Did you Make this Recipe ?Mention @VegetarianGastronomy or tag #vegetariangastronomy!
Anonymous
MMMMmmmmm soo good! the feta tastes great, even better with mushrooms!!