Vegan Cavatelli Arrabbiata
This vegan cavatelli arrabbiata dish is simple and quick to make, and thanks to their shape, these homemade pasta morsels are great at picking up the sauce.
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Cavatelli Arrabbiata is a satisfying spicy tomato dish, seasoned with chilli flakes, basil and garlic. Arrabbiata supposedly originates in the heart of Italy, Rome.
What does Cavatelli Arrabbiata mean?
Cavatelli is the name of the pasta shape used in this recipe. The pasta dough is rigged and the edges are folded towards each other to create perfect dents to pick up the spicy sauce. This is where the name stems from, with ‘cavatelli‘ translating as ‘little hollows’ in Italian.
Arrabiata sauce is tangy and sweet.
Marinara sauce is actually pretty similar, but it doesn’t have the same kick that the chilli flakes give arrabiata sauce.
Like cavatelli, the sauce is named after its most iconic features. Arrabiata vaguely translates as ‘angry mood’, which is reminiscent of its spicy flavour.
Can you buy vegan cavatelli pasta from a store?
Cavatelli can be store-bought, although it’s super easy to make it yourself using our recipe.
If you do decide to buy ready made pasta, check the ingredients to make sure it’s vegan (find out more in our guide to ‘Is pasta vegan?‘).
Most dried pastas are vegan, although it’s not guaranteed that all brands are.
You’ll find that fresh pasta is less likely to be vegan because it usually contains egg. So we recommend looking for dry cavatelli, just make sure you check what it contains!
Tips for cooking fresh pasta
Adding a small pinch of salt to the boiling water will add flavour to your pasta because the cavatelli will absorb the salt while it cooks. It’s better than just seasoning the dish at the end of cooking because the saltiness will be dispersed throughout the pasta shells, instead of sitting on top.
Another benefit of adding salt to pasta water is that it will help glue the pasta to the sauce as well as thicken the sauce when the pasta is added to it. Salty, starchy water is key to emulsifying the pasta to the spicy sauce.
Total Time: 50 minutes
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Calories: 448
Servings: 4
Rating:
Total Time: 50 minutes
Calories: 448
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
(Servings: 4)
- For the pasta
- 90 90 g plain flour
- 60 60 ml boiling water
- 0.5 0.5 tbsp gram flour
- For the arrabbiata
- 0.5 0.5 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1 cloves garlic, puréed
- 0.75 0.75 bay leaves
- 0.25 0.25 onion, finely diced
- 0.5 0.5 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 0.5 0.5 tins chopped tomatoes
- handful of fresh basil, chopped
Method
- To make the pasta dough, mix the plain flour and gram flour together in a bowl.
- Then add the boiling water and stir to form the dough. Knead until smooth.
- Roll the dough out into a long rope about 1cm thick.
- Slice the rope into small 1cm pieces.
- Take a piece and, using your thumb, press and gently push down into the dough pieces. The two sides should curl inwards, giving you that classic cavatelli shape.
- Once all the cavatelli are made, dust them with flour and set them to the side.
- Next comes the arrabbiata sauce. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion, garlic, chilli flakes, and bay leaves, and sauté for 4-5 minutes.
- Mix in the tomatoes and cook for a further 6-8 minutes, before seasoning to taste.
- Now to finish the pasta. Bring a pan of water to a boil and add the cavatelli.
- Cook the pasta for about 4-5 minutes, drain and then add the pasta to the sauce.
- Garnish with a little chopped basil, and serve.
Each 395g serving provides:
8.8g Fat, 1.4g Saturates, 84g Carbohydrate, 7.3g Sugars, 7g Fibre, 12g Protein, 0.04g Salt.
Fancy another helping? You need to look at our best vegan pasta recipes!
