Simple spaghetti fra diavolo is one of the most made (and loved) pasta recipes in our household. It’s simple, saucy, and SPICY! It’s also a breeze to make on busy nights when cooking time needs to be short and snappy. Cause let’s be real… who’s got time for crazy & complicated?!
If you’re the kind of guy/gal that needs a little meat in your meal, this pasta can easily be turned into a heartier situation by adding some shrimp/chicken/lobster/etc. A little side salad and some crusty bread are also sexy additions to any pasta platter 😉
*If you want an extra authentic pasta experience, try using bucatini pasta! When we were in Italy we ate Bucatini Fra Diavolo and fell hard for the extra thick noodles.
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Simple Spaghetti Fra Diavolo
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 1 pound of pasta; 6 servings
An Italian Classic! Spicy and Simple Spaghetti Fra Diavolo can be ready in just about 20 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup olive oil
- 10 cloves garlic, sliced very thin or minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (add a little more if you really like the spice!)
- 2 1/2 cups tomato puree
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound of spaghetti, cooked al dente
Instructions
- Fill a large stock pot with water and salt and place over a medium-high flame; bring to a rolling boil and add spaghetti; cook for 5-6 minutes, or until pasta is almost al dente. Drain and add to pasta.
- While your pasta is cooking, make your sauce!
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium flame. Add garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until garlic is fragrant and just starting to turn golden. Add crushed red pepper, and stir. Add tomato puree, stir, and reduce heat to medium. Let cook for 8 minutes - stirring occasionally - or until the oil beings to rise and separate from the tomato puree. Mix in fresh herbs, salt, and pepper; taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Once pasta is cooked and drained, add it to the sauce and and stir to coat the noodles. Reduce heat to low, cover pan, and let pasta cook in the sauce for 2-3 minutes.
- Serve pasta with cheese, and eat at once!
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 serving
Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
% Daily Value |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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Pasta night rules, but it is more like a couple nights a week around here! Ahh yes!
This bowl looks delicious and your photos are gorgeous! 🙂
Coming from the Queen of Gorgeous Photos that is one heck of a compliment 😉 Thank you, lovely! xo
Pasta night sounds just perfect right about now!
I could definitely go for some pasta right now, even though its 7:30 in the morning. Carbs are always a good idea. Love how simple and delish this looks!
We don’t do pasta nights, but pasta lunches ;–) And this is going straight to our weekly menu! It sounds so delish yet simple to make. Winner! x
One of my all time favorites!! My husband would go nuts over this!
Yum! I have many pasta nights with my training!!! This looks delicious, perfect for carb loading before a workout! Simple and fresh! Looks great! Thanks for the recipe!
I hope you try it, Tina 😉 xo
Gorgeous pasta, girl! Pasta night is a way of life. At our house we enjoy RP’s fresh pasta, gluten free these days. Our last pasta craving? Lasted 3 nights in a row just last week! 🙂 Thanks for sharing! xo
Love you share my pasta obsession 😉 xo
Pasta nights are the best!
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What a lovely pasta recipe! Pasta nights happen at least 2-3 times a week in our house so will be pinning this one. 🙂
Love the ease and taste of this dish, great job, will be trying soon!
I’ve never seen mint in a fra diavolo -sounds so good!
I would make every night pasta night if I could! Love the flavours in this, definitely going to be making it soon.
mmmmm yesh I luuurve pasta!!!
Ashley, your blog is seriously awesome!! I’ve made a few of your recipes and they are all hits!
Pumpkin pie squares, italian tuna melts and your biscotti to name a few.
Keep it up, I’m looking forward to making this pasta (finally someone who adds 10 cloves of garlic like we do!) and more in 2014.
Happy New Year!
Thank you SO much!And if you love garlic, you will LOVE that pasta!!!
Happy New Year 🙂
All I can say is holy moly this was hot (spicy) but soooo yummy! I had to eat it with italian bread and dip the bread in sauce to help the spaghetti out and ended up filled up before finishing my plate of spaghetti between water and bread. haha. This is definitely a remake for my stepdad and I, just a tad less pepper though for me 🙂
Hi Paula! It is a verrrry spicy pasta! But I’m happy you still found it delicious. If you want a less HOT version I would just cut the crushed red pepper in half.
Hello! I just made this dish tonight and I had to write to say thank you! It was delicious. This is seriously the perfect simple hearty noodle dish that a person needs in their recipe book. Surprisingly rich and satisfying. So good.
Brenna, that makes me SO happy! I am so pleased you loved this dish 🙂 xo
I normally don’t leave replies but I feel that I have to personally thank you for an amazing recipe! I couldn’t believe how quick and yummy this dish was. I have three little ones who are such picky eaters….but no one complained about dinner tonight and wiped their plates clean 🙂 Thanks once again!
Hi Sumrana! I am so happy you did decide to leave a comment; it made my day! I’m so glad to hear even your little ones loved this saucy pasta 🙂 It’s a favorite of ours as well. xoxo
What brand of tomato purée do you use?
Have you ever (or could you ever) replace mint with fresh basil?
Hi Patti! I’ve never left out the mint, but I’m sure it would be just as delicious with all basil. Let me know how it turns out, please 🙂
excellent,too good,i need to make this more often,untill i learn it by heart..
I found this recipe through Pinterest and in the spur of the moment decided to make it for my lazy Saturday lunch as I had all the ingredients in the pantry and garden. So easy and delicious! I’m so happy I found your blog! I’m excited to try out some of your other recipes 🙂
Hi Kylie! I’m so happy you made the fra diavolo and loved it 🙂 It’s one of my favorite lazy but still delicious meals!
Hi!
I’ve made this before and my family keeps asking for me to make it again. I would love to make this soon but I only have the dried basil, mint, and parsley. Is that okay and if so, how much would you think I could use? Do you think the flavors would come across as well?
Hi Japhia! I’m not sure if the flavor will shine through as much as it does using fresh herbs, but give the dried ones a try 🙂 I would start at a 1/2 teaspoon for each, taste, then add more if desired. Please let me know how it goes. xo
This was an excellent recipe that my 10 and 13 year old boys ask for repeatedly. I’m making it again tonight 7-21-14 by request. I add Italian Sausage for the 3 men in the house. Thank you!
Hi Jamie! I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed this pasta. It’s one of our favorites, too 🙂
Will it kill this recipe horribly if I leave out the crushed red pepper? I don’t care for too much spice or can I cut it down a bit?
Feel free to cut it down 😉
My husband and I made this pasta while we were visiting our daughter, her husband and baby. Normally she would have made it but she had the flu and therefore didn’t get to try it! We all loved it and I made sure to get the recipe so I could make it when we got back home. So easy and so very tasty!!!
I followed this recipe exactly with fresh ingredients, and while it did turn out super yummy, it was also an oily mess. The olive oil and the tomato puree never combined, even though I spent more than 10 minutes stirring and attempting to get the two to mix. I hoped that when the pasta was added things would sort of all come together, but they didn’t and the oil stayed separate, again, no matter how much I stirred and folded. I ended up skimming what oil I could off, and ended up taking out roughly 1/3rd of a cup without much difficulty. It was still very yummy in the end, but even with all the oil I pulled back out, it was still extremely oily. Do you have any suggestions? At the moment all I can think of is to scale WAY back on the olive oil next time, perhaps only using a few tablespoons.
Hi Emily. I’m so sorry your pasta was so oily. I’ve never has this problem, but maybe go ahead and cut it in half next time and see how it turns out. It is important to *really whisk the oil into the sauce, but since you said you did that, I can’t think of a reason why it didn’t emulsify 🙁
Hello, I’m planning on making this today and was wondering about the tomato puree. I couldn’t find any in the store so can I just puree some fresh tomatoes and use that?
Hi Alicia. I would buy canned whole peeled tomatoes OR canned diced tomatoes and then pulse them until they’re pureed. I’m not sure how fresh tomatoes would work as I’ve never tried that way. Good luck 🙂
I love Fra Diavolo/Arrabiatta. Wasn’t sure about all of the oil, but to my amazement, this was great. Will definitely be a keeper! Thanks
Ohh I am definitely going to try this recipe! thanks for sharing, and great images!
2/3 cup olive oil?
Hi Debbie. Yes, that’s correct. You may decrease it if you wish, but it may change the consistency of the finished pasta.
This dish sounds terrific and am planning on making it tonight. I have a meat eater here, and wounded if you have made this with meat?
Hi Barbara. I make it often with shrimp, but I think chicken would work, too 🙂
Pasta nights and afternoon. I could eat pasta anytime. It is so simple and easy to make. I love the way you have simplified the recipe and put across through your writing. Great photos. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I like the sound of pasta afternoons 😉 Thanks for the sweet compliments, Gayatri!
I doubted the mint at first, but wow, it packs a surprisingly delicious punch. Making again tonight for the second time. Thanks for a simple, refreshing sauce to go with my homemade pasta. This recipe has cured my pasta sauce doldrums.
Is it just me or is this an OBSENE amount of herbs? Are the herb measurements (in cups) correct?
Hi Dan. The amount listed is correct. Feel free to cut back on the amount if you prefer a more mild pasta dish 🙂
Oooh the flavor and it was so easy to make.