Spicy Arrabbiata Sauce
This homemade spicy Italian Arrabbiata Sauce recipe is super easy to make and extremely delicious. It's also gluten-free and free of any fillers and junk ingredients.
This homemade spicy Italian Arrabbiata Sauce recipe is super easy to make and extremely delicious. It's also gluten-free and free of any fillers and junk ingredients.
- Carbohydrate 75.8887362144106 g
- Cholesterol 21.6000000182596 mg
- Fat 11.1749399706943 g
- Fiber 11.5955062150292 g
- Protein 29.1093943855741 g
- Saturated Fat 2.7216790168263 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (1358g)
- Sodium 1920.05902480678 mg
- Sugar 64.2932299993814 g
- Trans Fat 1.06161209945847 g
- Calories 487 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over a medium-high flame.
- When almost smoking, add the onion and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken stock, herbs, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
- Simmer until reduced slightly, about 15 minutes.
- Once reduced, use immersion blender (or regular blender) to break up the chunks of diced tomatoes but without making the consistency overly smooth.
- Season the sauce with more salt to taste, if needed.
Tomato paste concentration dictates the final viscosity and umami backbone of an arrabbiata sauce. Using a full six-ounce can without adequate liquid balance will cause scorching during the initial three-minute garlic and onion sauté. Chicken stock restores necessary moisture while adding body, but sodium levels in commercial stocks vary widely. Low-sodium stock prevents the reduction from becoming overly salty as water evaporates over the fifteen-minute simmer.
Crushed red pepper flakes release capsaicin into the olive oil during the high-heat phase. Modifying the quantity alters the heat profile directly without changing the sauce volume. Fresh basil and parsley introduce volatile aromatics that degrade under prolonged heat, which is why they enter the skillet alongside the tomatoes rather than at the very beginning of cooking.
Achieving the characteristic texture requires mechanical intervention after simmering. An immersion blender offers precise control over chunk reduction. Pulse the blades briefly to break down the diced tomatoes while retaining visible pulp. Standard countertop blenders achieve the same result if the hot liquid is vented properly to prevent pressure buildup, though transferring hot sauce introduces unnecessary spill risks. Blending until completely smooth destroys the rustic mouthfeel expected from this preparation.
