Simple Spaghetti Fra Diavolo is a classic pasta dish you can make with just a handful of simple ingredients! You can make the spicy tomato sauce in about the time is takes to bring a large pot of water to boil. Then juice mix together the al dente pasta, pasta sauce, and fresh herbs.
Spaghetti Fra Diavolo Pasta
It’s no secret we love pasta! But this spicy spaghetti fra diavolo is definitely one of the most made (and loved) pasta recipes in our household. It’s simple, saucy, and SPICY! And we almost always have the ingredients needed on hand. Especially in the summer when our herb garden is in full bloom. By nature, it’s a vegetarian recipe, but you can certainly add shrimp or chicken for a heftier meal. We actually turn this into shrimp fra diavolo at least once a week!
Bonus: This pasta fra diavolo is 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?!
Ingredients for Fra Diavolo
- Spaghetti: I use dried, but fresh pasta will work! You can also use almost any noodle here, so don’t feel like you’re married to spaghetti.
- Olive oil: Don’t be scared by the amount called for. It gives the sauce structure and flavor!
- Garlic: 10 whole cloves!!! Again, don’t be tempted to scale back here. Garlic is the backbone of this dish!
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: Feel free to cut back a little bit here, if you want to reduce the heat.
- Crushed Tomatoes with Basil: I don’t suggest subbing diced tomatoes here, as the sauce will end up much chunkier and less cohesive.
- Fresh herbs: Basil, parsley, and mint, oh my! Please, do not sub dried herbs.
- Salt: This recipe NEEDS all of the salt called for. And you’ll also need salt for the pasta water. Reduce the salt if you must, but be warned it will leave you with a blander pasta sauce.
- Black Pepper: For a little more spice and flavor!
I also suggest having some crusty bread, red or white wine, and freshly grated parmesan cheese on hand!
Let’s make Spicy Spaghetti
- Warm the oil in a large skillet until it shimmers. You’ll add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Be sure to stir frequently and cook until the garlic is fragrant BUT NOT BROWN.
- Add in the crushed red pepper and tomatoes and stir well to combine. Cook for about 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, cook your pasta. Be sure to cook only until al dente. No one likes soggy noodles!
- Before you drain the pasta, be sure to reserve 1 and 1/2 cups of the pasta water.
- Return to the sauce and toss in those fresh herbs, salt, and pepper into the tomato sauce and stir well to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as you desire!
- Add the cooked pasta to the sauce. Then slowly drizzle in reserved pasta water, mixing as you add it, and letting it fully absorb before adding more. Add as much or little as you desire to reach your desired sauciness level.
- Remove from heat and divide the pasta among shallow pasta bowls. Serve with cheese, wine, bread, and extra crushed red pepper flakes if you dare, eat at once!
What to serve spaghetti fra diavolo with?
If you want an extra authentic pasta experience, try my bucatini fry diavolo pasta recipe! When we were in Italy we ate Bucatini Fra Diavolo and fell hard for the extra thick noodles.
More Pasta Recipes:
- One-Pan Tomato Basil Pasta
- Pasta Puttanecsa
- Easy Tomato and Spinach Pasta
- The Best Homemade Lasagna Recipe
- Baked Rigatoni Fra Diavolo with Sausage and Zucchini
Simple Spaghetti Fra Diavolo
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried spagetti
- 1/3 cup (76ml) olive oil
- 10 cloves garlic minced
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes more or less, to taste
- 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes with basil
- 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
Instructions
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil until it shimmers. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until garlic is fragrant but don’t let it brown.
- Add in the crushed red pepper, and stir. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and stir well to combine. Increase to medium-high and bring to a rolling simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, cook your pasta. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once at a boil, stir in the pasta and cook until al dente, 7 to 8 minutes. Reserve 1 and 1/2 cups of the pasta water, then drain the pasta well and use as directed below.
- Mix the fresh herbs, salt, and pepper into the tomato sauce and stir well to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and stir to coat the noodles. Slowly drizzle in 1 cup of the reserved pasta water, mixing as you add it, and letting it fully absorb before adding more. Add more water, if desired. Reduce heat to low and let pasta cook in the sauce for 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and divide the pasta among shallow pasta bowls. Serve with cheese, wine, bread, and extra crushed red pepper flakes if you dare, eat at once!
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 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 🙁
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!!!
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 😉
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 🙂
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
excellent,too good,i need to make this more often,untill i learn it by heart..
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 🙂