Simple Penne Arrabbiata Recipe With Plant Based Sausage

It’s excellent as a weeknight dinner, as you can make it with simple ingredients like canned tomatoes, garlic, chili, and parsley in less than 30 minutes. Dietary Note: this recipe is suitable for a vegetarian and vegan diet. For gluten-free, use gluten-free pasta.Don’t have time to read the full blog post? JUMP TO RECIPE HERE!

What is Penne Arrabbiata?

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Ingredients & Substitutions for Penne Arrabbiata

How to Make Penne Arrabbiata

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Arrabbiata means angry in Italian. The name comes from the dish’s spiciness, which, by the way, you can adjust to your taste. Although it’s spicier, arrabbiata sauce is similar to marinara sauce, spaghetti pomodoro, and pasta alla Norma, and it goes well with most pasta shapes; most traditional are penne and rigatoni arrabbiata.Like pesto pasta, pasta e fagioli, cherry tomato pasta, and spaghetti aglio olio, arrabbiata is one of Italy’s most famous pasta dishes. And as with most of their traditional recipes, Italians have strict rules about what goes in it and what doesn’t. But of course, we are here to break those rules, make my Italian friends “arrabbiati” (no pun intended), and turn this traditional primo piatto into a delicious high-protein vegetarian dinner. To do so, we rely on plant-based sausage, but you can use any sausage. We used plant-based sausage before in our orecchiette with broccoli rabe, and you guys loved it. If you prefer to stick to the traditional penne all’arrabbiata recipe from Italy, you must omit the sausage. But if you like comforting Italian flavors repackaged in a modern and nutritionally complete meal, you’ll love this tasty arrabbiata recipe.

Penne

As the name suggests, penne arrabbiata is made with penne pasta. Substitute rigatoni, orecchiette, farfalle, spaghetti or any other pasta type for penne.

Extra virgin olive oil

We recommend extra virgin olive oil because it has a richer, fruitier, and more aromatic flavor. We use the oil to make the arrabbiata sauce’s flavor base and drizzle on top of the pasta. Substitute regular olive oil for extra virgin olive oil.

Garlic

Minced fresh garlic sautéed in the extra virgin olive oil adds a beautiful garlic aroma and zesty flavor to the tomato sauce.

Red chili pepper

You can use a thinly sliced fresh red chili pepper or substitute a small dried one or red pepper or chili flakes. Traditional arrabbiata sauce is spicy enough to make your face red, but of course, you can adjust the level of spiciness based on your taste.

Canned tomatoes

You can make arrabbiata with fresh or canned tomatoes. We recommend using whole canned peeled tomatoes, especially San Marzano Tomatoes imported from Italy (Mutti, Cirio, and Cento are some excellent brands). The sauce has a richer flavor if you make it with good-quality canned tomatoes. In summer, when in season, you can use ripe vine tomatoes. In this case, we recommend adding two tablespoons of tomato paste to make the sauce richer.

Flat-leaf parsley

Fresh Italian or flat-leaf parsley is the only herb used in traditional penne arrabbiata. Unlike marinara sauce, there are no fresh basil leaves in arrabbiata, but you can add them if you like.

Salt and Black Pepper

You’ll need sea salt to season the sauce and the pasta cooking water. Black pepper is optional.

Sausage

Sausage is not traditional in penne arrabbiata, but we like to add it to increase the meal’s protein content and transform this pasta dish into a protein-rich main course. We encourage you to try plant-based sausage, as it is available in most supermarkets. It’s an excellent alternative to meat-based sausages if you want to reduce your meat consumption or try to eat a low-cholesterol and low-saturated-fat diet. Note: there are no vegetables, chicken, shrimp, or parmesan cheese in arrabbiata, but again, you can alter the base recipe to your liking.

Make the arrabbiata sauce

Add the whole canned peeled tomatoes to a mixing bowl. Rinse the can with water and add that too. Chop the tomatoes into smaller pieces with scissors. Next, minced the garlic and finely chop the red chili. Tip: you can also crush the tomatoes with your hands. Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet. Add minced garlic and finely chopped chili or red pepper flakes and sauté on low heat for 1 to 2 minutes without burning the garlic. Add the tomatoes, season with salt, and simmer on medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust for salt and chili before adding the pasta.

Add the sausage (optional)

Peel the plant-based sausage and break it into small bite-size pieces. As you do so, apply pressure with your fingers to compact each piece. Sauté the plant-based sausage bits with extra virgin olive oil, a clove of crushed garlic, and a few twists of black pepper for 5 minutes or until browned. Set aside. Tip: We cook the plant-based sausage separately and add it to the sauce later so that the bits stay crisp and don’t get soggy.

Boil the pasta

Cook the pasta while the arrabbiata sauce and the sausage cook. Boil the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water as per package instructions minus 1 minute. Tip: We want the pasta to be slightly undercooked as we finish cooking it in the arrabbiata sauce.

Toss pasta, sausage, and sauce

Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, drain the pasta, and add it to the arrabbiata sauce. Add the sausage and chopped parsley and toss well. Add 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water and finish cooking while tossing for about 1 minute or until the pasta is al dente. Tip: “Al dente” means cooked to be slightly firm when you bite into it.Tip: As you finish cooking the pasta in the sauce, the dish becomes creamier as the starch released by the pasta helps bind the sauce. You can serve it with a simple side salad or with a side of roasted veggies. For example, try it with a side of:

Pear salad Fennel and orange salad Kale salad Butternut squash salad Green bean salad Zucchini salad Cucumber tomato salad Panzanella salad Arugula salad Artichoke salad Italian salad

Rigatoni Arrabbiata

Another delicious way of serving arrabbiata sauce is with chewy rigatoni. Check out our recipe for rigatoni arrabbiata recipe.

Add the parsley stems to the hot oil

You can do this to infuse more parsley flavor into the hot oil. Remember to remove the stems from the pan before adding the tomatoes.

How to cook pasta?

You’ll need a large pot of salted water as follows:

8 ounces of pasta (230 grams): cook pasta in 2 quarts of boiling water (8 cups or 2 Liters) with 1 tablespoon of salt (15 grams). Serves 2 – 3 people. 12 ounces of pasta (340 grams): cook pasta in 3 quarts of boiling water (12 cups or 3 Liters) with 1 ½ tablespoons of salt (21 grams). Serves 4 people. 1 pound of pasta (450 grams): cook pasta in 1 gallon of boiling water (16 cups or 4 Liters) with 2 tablespoons of salt (30 grams). Serves 5-6 people.

Refrigerator: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Freezer: This recipe is not suitable for freezing. Reheat: warm leftovers in the microwave for 2 minutes or on a skillet with a splash of olive oil and water. Avoid reheating the pasta multiple times, as it will overcook.

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