Arrabbiatta Sauce

I’ve been very anxious to try out a new recipe this week. Since husband and I were both back at work full time after the holiday break I decided to stick with a few tried and true favorites before attempting something new. Since this recipe called for fresh spinach I knew I should go ahead and make it before the spinach went bad. I hate the thought of throwing out food and I do what I can to avoid it. If I had known this recipe would be so easy I would have made it sooner.

The sauce has a wonderful depth of flavor. There are three different heat sources which I think makes this sauce quite tasty. I had a difficult time finding zesty diced tomatoes but I did find some that had green chilies in them. I was nervous that the sauce might end up tasting a little to “south of the boarder” but this didn’t end up being the case.

This is a very yummy meatless meal. I really enjoyed adding the fresh spinach to the sauce as this was a new addition for me. The sauce didn’t end up tasting too “spinachy” and it was packed with veggies. I’m always looking for a way to sneak some extra veggies in our diet. I gave the diced tomatoes an extra pulse in the blender only because I don’t enjoy chunky tomatoes. The original recipe called for orecchiette pasta but I couldn’t find any at the two grocery stores I frequent. Instead I used my favorite fun shaped pasta, campanelle. This cute little trumpet shaped pasta is a fun addition to any sauce or salad. Use any type of pasta you would like for this sauce. Bowties, rotini, and penne would all hold this sauce quite well.

Enjoy!

1 T. olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. water
20 oz. zesty diced tomatoes
8 oz. tomato sauce
½ tsp. crushed red pepper
½ tsp. oregano
1/8 tsp. cayenne
1 lb. pasta
5 oz. baby spinach
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
¼ cup Parmesan

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Heat oil in medium size saucepan. Add onion and sauté for five minutes. Add garlic and water and cook for an addition two minutes.

Stir diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, red-pepper flakes, oregano and ground red pepper into saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Slice spinach into ribbons and add to sauce. Cook the sauce for an additional five minutes or until spinach is wilted and bright green, about five minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

 
Drain pasta and toss with prepared sauce. Transfer to large serving bowl and serve with parmesan cheese.

Adapted from http://www.recipe.com/orecchiette-arrabbiata/