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This savory Arrabiata pasta uses pantry staples to give a classic Italian dish a hint of Asian fusion. One pot is all you need for a rich, saucy dinner experience that can easily be tailored to a vegan lifestyle! {Vegetarian, Vegan-Adaptable}

Chinese-Style Arrabiata Pasta (Two Ways)

By Maggie Zhu
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 2 servings
This savory Arrabiata pasta uses pantry staples to give a classic Italian dish a hint of Asian fusion. One pot is all you need for a rich, saucy dinner experience that can easily be tailored to a vegan lifestyle! {Vegetarian, Vegan-Adaptable}

Ingredients

  • 1/2 box (8 oz/226 g) penne rigate (or your favorite pasta) (*Footnote 1)

Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 onion , diced
  • 3 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1 tablespoon doubanjiang (or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes)
  • 1 can (28 oz/794 g) tomato , diced or crushed
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 2 sprigs fresh thyme)
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil (or 4 fresh basil leaves, sliced)
  • 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 can (5 oz/142 g) tuna in water , drained (*Footnote 2) (Optional)
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (*Footnote 3) (Optional)

Instructions

  • Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the box instructions until al dente. Once done, reserve a 1/4 cup of the cooking water to add to your sauce later (*Footnote 4). Drain the pasta and run tap water over it to stop cooking.
  • (Optional) Heat your oven to 375° F (190° C) if you plan to melt cheese on the pasta.
  • While boiling the water, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or saucepan until hot. Add the onion. Cook and stir occasionally, until it begins to soften, 3 minutes or so.
  • Add the garlic and doubanjiang. Continue to cook and stir until fragrant, another 1 to 2 minutes.
  • Add the tomatoes, thyme, basil (skip if using fresh basil), salt, pepper, and sugar. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer until the sauce begins to thicken slightly, about 10 minutes.
  • Add the tuna to the sauce. Stir to mix well. Add back the cooked pasta and the reserved 1/4 cup of pasta cooking liquid. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning according to your preference.
  • (Optional) To melt the cheese, transfer the cooked pasta with the sauce into a baking dish and spread the cheese on top. Bake at 375° F (190° C) until the cheese fully melts, 15 minutes or so.
  • Serve hot as a main dish.

Notes

  1. This recipe is quite saucy. You can use up to a small box (12 oz / 340 g) of pasta if you wish.
  2. The dish will taste great without the tuna. You can skip it to make the recipe vegetarian, or skip the tuna and the cheese to make it vegan.
  3. The pasta tastes great without the cheese. If you’d like a more indulgent experience, use the cheese.
  4. If the instructions on your pasta box have a time range, use the minimum time. If there’s only one number listed, I would boil the pasta 1 minute less to get an al dente texture at the end of the cooking.
  5. The nutrition facts below are calculated based on 1 serving without the tuna or the cheese.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 485kcal, Carbohydrates: 70.4g, Protein: 14.1g, Fat: 16.9g, Saturated Fat: 2.4g, Cholesterol: 83mg, Sodium: 1340mg, Potassium: 290mg, Fiber: 1.7g, Sugar: 3.6g, Calcium: 51mg, Iron: 5mg