Pasta!! How have I not given you a pasta recipe yet? I first had bucatini arrabiata at my favorite local Italian place and I was obsessed. I had to learn and recreate it. Translating to “angry” sauce, arrabiata is the spicier sister of the classic marinara. Only to be taken to the next level with pancetta as the fat. 🤌🏽🤌🏽🤌🏽

Let’s get to cooking!

Also please appreciate the title of this recipe. IYKYK

Prep:

• Prep time: 5 minutes

• Cook time: 25-30 minutes

• Serves: 5

Ingredients:

• 1 24 oz canned tomato or puree

• bucatini pasta (or any pasta of choice)

• 6-8 garlic cloves - minced

• 1/2 white onion - diced

• 1/2 cup pancetta (substitute with ground meat to make a meat sauce!)

• 2-3 garlic cloves - minced

• 3-4 tbsp olive oil

• 1 1/2 tbsp crushed red pepper

• Parmigiano-reggiano - shredded

• Fresh parsley (optional)

• Black pepper to taste

• Salt to taste

Recipe:

Invest in a nice high-quality saucepan with a cover. I use my favorite stainless steel saucepan because it does a better job of sautéing and reducing sauces, but don’t take my word for it. All I know is that it distributes heat evenly, so the entire pan gets hot, unlike some pans that have a heavier bottom.

Heat your saucepan on high for 2-3 minutes and add about 3-4 tbsp of olive oil. Then, add your onions and sauté them until they turn a light golden brown.

Next, add the garlic and crushed red pepper. Stir constantly for about a minute to avoid burning the garlic. Then, add the pancetta and sauté everything until it looks lightly browned.

Pro tip: Sauté the crushed red peppers with the garlic or onion at the beginning to let the oil absorb the spiciness of the peppers. This creates an even distribution of spice throughout your dish, rather than getting little bites of heat when you eat.

Stir in the canned tomatoes(make sure to crush the tomatoes) or puree and bring it to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to low (about 2 on a scale of 10) and crack some black pepper into the sauce, around 1/2 to 1 tsp depending on your preference. Cover the saucepan and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce should be thick when ready. You can test this by tilting the saucepan towards you and pushing the sauce up with a spatula. The liquid should not seep down. If the sauce is runny or watery, remove the cover, crank up the heat to medium-high, and reduce the sauce while constantly stirring it to avoid burning. Always add salt after reducing the sauce to the right consistency to avoid oversalting your dish.

Cook your pasta according to your liking. I prefer to use a hollow variety of pasta because I think it works well with chunkier sauces. Strain the pasta and toss it in the saucepan with the sauce or plate and top the sauce, as desired. Garnish with parmigiano-reggiano and parsley.

Enjoy!