Felicity Cloake’s penne all'arrabbiata made foolproof for weeknights

Felicity Cloake laid out a compact masterclass in penne all'arrabbiata that strips the dish back to a handful of dependable techniques for fast, consistent results. The method focuses on flavouring the oil, careful garlic timing, a short simmer for the tomatoes, and managing pasta timing so sauce and pasta finish together.

Start by heating a generous amount of olive oil and add chilli flakes to the oil so heat carries through the sauce. Slice garlic and fry it gently until it is just golden; that gentle browning is what gives arrabbiata its aromatic backbone without turning bitter. Add good-quality tinned tomatoes and let the sauce simmer for about 15 minutes so acidity softens and flavours meld. Cloake recommends keeping the sauce slightly looser if you plan to finish it with pasta later, which prevents it from becoming gluey when reheated.

Penne is the traditional shape, but rigatoni, fusilli, and conchiglie work well too; choose shapes that catch sauce and give textural contrast. Cook the pasta just shy of your preferred doneness, reserve some cooking water, and toss the hot pasta with the finished sauce so the starch in the water and the sauce marry to create a glossy coating. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and torn basil or parsley for a fresh lift.

A small splash of red-wine vinegar is recommended to brighten the sauce if the tomatoes taste a little flat; add it at the end and adjust to taste. For make-ahead cooking aim to keep the sauce a touch looser than you would serve immediately and undercook the pasta slightly so both components can be brought to the ideal texture together when you reheat or toss them for serving. Reserving pasta water is non-negotiable here: it loosens the sauce, helps it cling to shapes like penne and rigatoni, and rescues a sauce that’s tightened too much during storage.

For weeknight cooks this approach trades bells and whistles for predictability: a short simmer and careful timing mean dinner is done in a single pan and won’t fall flat when schedules force you to pause. Try swapping shapes, tweak the chilli level, and use the vinegar sparingly until you find your preferred brightness. With these practical steps you’ll have a reliably punchy arrabbiata that travels well from fridge to plate and keeps dinner plans uncomplicated.