Arrabiata sauce in a stock pot just made.

When it comes to pasta sauces Arrabiata Sauce might be one of my favorite ones out there. I love that for such a simple tomato sauce with only a handful of basic ingredients, it packs in so much delicious flavor.

The crushed red pepper flakes add a really nice punch of heat to the sauce, but isn’t overwhelming in the least (you can obviously also adjust based on personal preference).

What is Arrabiata Sauce?

It is a spicy Italian tomato sauce that uses olive oil, tomatoes, garlic , and red chile peppers (we’re using crushed red chile flakes in our recipe today) . Arrabiata in Italian literally translates to ‘angry‘, referring to the spiciness of the chile peppers.

How to Make Our Arrabiata Sauce

Arrabiata sauce ingredients measured out.

Process

Place a pot over medium heat and add oil. Add onions and sauté for about 5 minutes or until onions start to get translucent. Season with salt and pepper.
Add garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and continue to sauté, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Cooking onions in a stock pot to make arrabiata sauce.

Onions and red pepper flakes cooking in a stock pot.

Stir in tomato paste and cook for about 2 minutes, while stirring, until paste turns a deep red color.

Tomato paste and onions in a stock pot to make arrabiata sauce.

Add whole tomatoes and break each tomato apart with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper.
Lower heat to medium-low, stir in crushed tomato and simmer for about 25 minutes.

Adding whole tomatoes into a stock pot to make arrabiata sauce.

The start of arrabiata sauce recipe in a stock pot.

Stir in basil and oregano and continue to simmer for 10 minutes or until the sauce comes together and thickens.
Remove from heat and cool before transferring to jars (and canning).

Arrabiata sauce in a stock pot with fresh herbs being added.

Finished arrabiata sauce cooling in a stock pot.

Tools You Will Need

What’s the Difference Between Arrabiata Sauce and Marinara Sauce?

Both sauces are simple tomato based sauces, but arrabiata sauce includes heat from chile peppers and marinara sauce contains no heat.

Serving Suggestions

There are so many things to serve with our arrabiata sauce such as pasta, meatballs (or meatball sub!), in a casserole, in shakshuka. It would also make a great dipping sauce for things like garlic bread, mozzarella sticks, polenta fries, and baked asparagus fries. The possibilities are endless!

Close up on arrabiata sauce recipe in a pot.

Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions

One of my favorite things about this sauce is that it freezes and thaws VERY well! You just need to make sure to store it properly and you can have loads of arrabiata sauce ready to thaw and heat up in no time!

Make Ahead

Our sauce can be made up to 1 week ahead of time. Once sauce has cooled down, transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. To reheat, transfer sauce to a pot and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.

Freezing

Our sauce can be frozen for up to 6 months. Once sauce has cooled down transfer to an airtight freezer container and store in the freezer until ready to use. Try finding a container that fits the sauce well with minimal space left to help avoid freezer burn from excess air in the storage container. It’s also important to note that the sauce should not be stored (for the freezer) in a glass jar or container. Once frozen the sauce will expand and can shatter the glass.

To thaw and reheat, transfer container of sauce to refrigerator and thaw overnight. Then transfer thawed sauce (it’s okay if it’s still a little frozen), to a pot and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.