Paraben Free Classic Arrabbiata Sauce
Few sauces hit as hard as a properly made arrabbiata — fiery, garlicky, and deeply savory in a way that feels both rustic and restaurant-worthy. This version keeps things beautifully simple, leaning on San Marzano tomatoes, good olive oil, and a generous pinch of red pepper flakes to build serious flavor from a short ingredient list. Because every component here is a whole, recognizable food with no preservatives or synthetic additives, it's a naturally clean choice for anyone avoiding parabens that can sneak into processed sauces and jarred condiments. The technique matters too: slowly coaxing the garlic to pale gold before adding the chili and tomatoes layers the flavor in a way that shortcuts simply can't replicate. Crushing the tomatoes by hand gives the sauce a pleasingly uneven texture — somewhere between chunky and smooth — that clings to pasta like it means it. That final glossy sheen of olive oil rising to the surface is your cue that the sauce has reduced to exactly where it needs to be. Finish with a scatter of fresh parsley if you have it, and you've got something that tastes like it simmered all afternoon.
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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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