BHA & BHT Free Classic Arrabbiata Sauce
Few pantry sauces deliver this kind of bold, fiery satisfaction with such a short ingredient list. Fragrant garlic cooked low and slow in good olive oil, a hit of red pepper flakes, and hand-crushed San Marzano tomatoes come together into something deeply savory and just spicy enough to make you go back for another bite. What makes this especially reassuring for anyone avoiding synthetic preservatives is that every single component here is whole and unprocessed — no jarred shortcuts, no shelf-stable blends with mystery additives hiding in the fine print. Store-bought tomato sauces and even canned paste products are common culprits for BHA and BHT, so building from scratch with whole peeled tomatoes is genuinely the smarter move. The technique is straightforward: bloom the garlic gently, toast the pepper flakes briefly, then let the tomatoes simmer down into a glossy, spoon-coating sauce over about twenty minutes. A handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley at the end adds a bright, herby finish that pulls everything together. Toss it with your favorite pasta and you've got a weeknight dinner that's as clean as it is craveable.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes, or more to taste
- 1 can (28 oz) whole peeled san marzano tomatoes
- ½ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For serving
- 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Pour the olive oil into a large saucepan or skillet and set over medium-low heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the slices are pale golden at the edges and fragrant, about 3–4 minutes. Watch closely — garlic can go from golden to bitter quickly.
- 2
Add the red pepper flakes and stir for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
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