Arrabbiata Tomato Sauce

Arrabbiata Tomato Sauce with Fiery Chili Spiciness from Puglia

The Pralina Arrabbiata tomato sauce is a sugo all'arrabbiata from Salento, consisting of almost pure tomato, spiced with Apulian chili, garlic, and parsley. This is no mild sauce with a hint of spice, but an Arrabbiata sauce that truly lives up to its name – "the angry one."

This Arrabbiata sauce by Pralina is 96 percent tomato, with the remainder divided between extra virgin olive oil, 1.3 percent spicy chili from Puglia, garlic, salt, and parsley. No cream, no shortcuts – just tomato and fire, as the Roman original has always demanded. The sauce owes its name to the rich, almost angrily red color provided by the chili: arrabbiata literally means "angry" in Italian.

Fiery, spicy, tomato-fresh

The first spoonful still tastes calmly of warm tomato and a hint of garlic, then the chili spice kicks in—clearly noticeable, but not overwhelming—accompanied by a strong, dark red color in the jar that visually heralds the heat.

Parsley keeps the heat fresh rather than dull, and despite the spice, the tomato remains the leading flavor in the jar. Fiery, spicy, tomato-fresh – a sauce that shows fire without masking the taste of the tomato. Compared to the mild cherry tomato sauce and the creamy ricotta variety, the Arrabbiata is one of the spicier sauces in the Pralina range.

The chili for it is grown in Puglia itself, not imported from overseas: an ingredient that has always been part of Salento's cuisine, long before spice became a culinary trend.

For Penne, Rigatoni, and Bruschetta

Classically, the Arrabbiata sauce is tossed with short pasta shapes like penne or rigatoni, which catch the heat in every ridge. It also works well with gnocchi or as a spicy side dish for roasted vegetables.

Served cold on toasted bread, it makes for a spicy bruschetta; warmed over eggplant or zucchini, it serves as a fiery side dish for a quick dinner. It also works as a pizza base—if you like it even spicier, just sprinkle with fresh chili. The milder Tomato Basil Sauce and the creamy Tomato Ricotta Sauce come from the same kitchen in Melpignano, in case you prefer things less spicy on other days.

The Arrabbiata also pairs well with a bold, spicy red wine from Southern Italy, as the wine's acidity balances the heat perfectly.

A family business with a safety certificate

Pralina, short for Produzione Alimenti Naturali, was founded in 1991 in Melpignano, Southern Italy—originally under the name Officina Radici—by a group of young people, mostly women, with a love for their native Salento. The name has been their guiding principle ever since: food made from the most natural ingredients possible, without detours.

Today, the company employs around 20 people who cook sauces, pesto, creams, and soups from regional vegetables every day. The production facility is certified annually according to the international Global Standard for Food Safety—a testament that is by no means a given for such a small family business. No preservatives are used; the heat comes solely from the local chili.

The small jars from Melpignano now travel to more than 23 countries, packaged in 180 grams, without the recipe having changed much since the beginning. If you are looking for other varieties from Melpignano, you can find the entire Pralina assortment or browse through our pasta sauces from other Italian producers.

Pecorino and a splash of lemon soften the heat

Briefly heated and thinned with a little pasta water, the Arrabbiata sauce binds directly to the pasta instead of remaining in the pot. A little grated Pecorino and a splash of lemon soften the heat without hiding it. Once opened, it keeps in the refrigerator for a few days.