Penne Arrabbiata with Roasted Garlic
Fiery, garlicky and quick
Arrabbiata means “angry”, a nod to the chilli heat that gives this quick Roman sauce its name and its kick. The twist is roasting a whole head of garlic until sweet and mellow, then mashing it into the tomatoes for a rounder, deeper background behind the fire, with an optional spoonful of spicy ’nduja for those who want even more punch. It is fast, fierce and deeply satisfying, exactly the kind of pasta to cook on a busy evening.
Penne Arrabbiata with Roasted Garlic
Ingredients
- 1 whole head of garlic, plus 1 extra clove
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for roasting
- 1-2 dried red chillies, crumbled (to taste)
- 400 g tin of good chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tsp 'nduja (optional)
- 400 g penne
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Small handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- Grated Pecorino, to serve (optional)
Method
- Heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan). Slice the top off the head of garlic, sit it on foil, drizzle with oil and a little salt, then wrap and roast for 35-40 minutes until soft and golden.
- Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from their skins and mash to a paste. Finely chop the extra raw clove.
- Warm the olive oil in a wide pan over a medium-low heat and gently fry the raw garlic and crumbled chilli for a minute, without browning.
- Stir in the 'nduja, if using, and let it melt into the oil.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée and roasted garlic paste. Season and simmer for 12-15 minutes until thickened and glossy.
- Meanwhile, cook the penne in well-salted boiling water until al dente, reserving a mugful of the water.
- Drain the pasta and toss it through the sauce, loosening with a splash of pasta water so it coats every piece.
- Stir through most of the parsley, check the seasoning and serve with the rest scattered over and Pecorino if you like.
3 The Story
Penne all’arrabbiata is a cornerstone of Roman home cooking, a sauce built from storecupboard staples that delivers a great deal of flavour for very little effort or expense. The name, which translates roughly as “angry pasta”, refers to the chilli heat that makes the dish tingle, said to leave the eater flushed and fired up. It belongs to the same tradition of frugal, ingredient-light Roman cooking as cacio e pepe, relying on technique and good basic produce rather than a long list of components.
The choice of pasta shape is not incidental. Penne, with its hollow tubes and ridged surface, is built to trap a clinging tomato sauce, which is why it is the traditional partner here. The chilli is the defining note, and the amount is entirely a matter of taste; Italian cooks use dried peperoncino, but any good dried red chilli will do, crumbled into the warm oil so its heat blooms gently rather than scorching.
Garlic is the ingredient this version sets out to celebrate. In the classic recipe it is fried briefly in oil to flavour the base, sharp and pungent. Roasting a whole head transforms it completely: the long, slow heat tames its bite and draws out a deep, almost sweet mellowness, the cloves collapsing into a soft paste that melts into the sauce. Keeping a single raw clove for the initial frying preserves the bright, savoury hit of the original, so the finished dish carries both the sweetness of the roasted garlic and the freshness of the raw.
The optional spoonful of ’nduja is a nod to the south of Italy. This soft, spreadable sausage from Calabria is made with pork and a generous quantity of fiery chilli, and it dissolves into warm oil to lend a rich, smoky, deeply savoury heat. It pushes the dish well beyond a simple tomato sauce, adding a meaty depth that suits the “angry” spirit of arrabbiata perfectly. Whether you include it or keep things vegetarian, the principles are the same: good tinned tomatoes, enough chilli to make your lips tingle, and pasta cooked until just firm to the bite, all brought together in a matter of minutes.
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