Arrabbiata
A fiery tomato sauce: plenty of garlic and dried chilli warmed in olive oil, simmered with tomatoes and finished with parsley.
makes 26 cubes, about 8p each
- Time
- 45 min15 min prep · 30 min cook
- Makes
- 26 cubes
- Cost per cubePer cube
- 8p
- Calories per cubeCalories
- 23 kcal
- A serving
- 4 cubes
- Spice
- 3 of 5
You’ll need
- 2 × 400g tinschopped tomatoes
- 6 cloves (30g)garlic, sliced
- 3g (1 tsp)chilli flakes
- 2 (20g)red chillies, chopped
- 20gtomato purée
- 5gsugar
- 15gfresh parsley
- 4gsalt
- 40mlolive oil
Allergens: none of the 14 major allergens in the ingredients as listed. Check the labels on stock cubes, sauces and pastes, as brands vary.
Use it for
Penne arrabbiata for one · 4 cubes; Spicy prawns with linguine · 4 cubes; Baked eggs in sauce · 3 cubes
Method
- Step 1: Warm the oil in a saucepan over a medium-low heat and gently fry the garlic, chilli flakes and fresh chilli for 2 minutes without browning.
- Step 2: Add the purée for 1 minute, then the tomatoes, sugar and salt.
- Step 3: Simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes until thick.
- Step 4: Stir in the chopped parsley.
- Step 5: Cool, pour into 30ml trays and freeze.
| kcal | protein | carbs | fat | fibre | salt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per cube | 23 | 0.5g | 2g | 1.5g | 0.4g | 0.16g |
| Per 4 cubes | 92 | 2g | 8g | 6g | 1.6g | 0.64g |
Cook’s notes
- Straight from frozen into a hot pan; loosen with a splash of pasta water.
- Arrabbiata means 'angry'; add more chilli flakes if you like it fierce.
- Toss with pasta and a little pasta water so it clings.
Use it for
- Penne arrabbiata for one · 4 cubes
- Spicy prawns with linguine · 4 cubes
- Baked eggs in sauce · 3 cubes
Freeze, reheat and serve
- Freeze
- Cool it within two hours, freeze it in 30ml ice-cube trays, then bag and label the cubes. It keeps for 4 months.
- Use from frozen
- Straight from frozen into a hot pan; loosen with a splash of pasta water. Never refreeze thawed cubes.
- A portion
- 4 cubes is a serving: about 92 kcal.
Arrabbiata questions
Can I use fresh tomatoes instead of tinned?
You can, using ripe tomatoes, skinned and chopped. They hold more water than tinned, so simmer the sauce a little longer until it's thick.
Why fry the garlic and chilli so gently?
Warming them slowly in the oil carries their flavour through the whole sauce. If the garlic browns it turns bitter, and that bitterness ends up in every cube.
What else can I use it for?
Spoon it over roast aubergine or courgettes, stir it through white beans on toast, or spread it thinly as a spicy pizza sauce.
Freezer meals that go with it
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Updated . Nutrition, costs and yields are estimates.