Spice up your pizza game! A pizzeria style Pizza Arrabbiata starts with homemade spicy sauce. We top it with roasted peppers and ricotta. Skip the delivery! Make this at home.
Arrabbiata sauce
Living in New York City spoils you for pizza choices. So, when we first moved back to Pennsylvania, we struggled to find pizza we loved. We started making our favorite Bee Sting Pizza at home, which is better than most delivery options, and definitely beats frozen. I like a little "kick" to my pie, so one day I used my spicy Arrabbiata Sauce recipe (instead of regular tomato sauce). The rest is history. We like ricotta cheese on this pie, as it balances out the heat of the sauce, giving it a memorable bite.
Arrabbiata Sauce takes about 10 minutes to make. It's so easy, and it adds a layer of bold flavor to pizza, homemade meatballs, or pasta.
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Ingredients
- PIZZA DOUGH: use our pizza dough recipe, store-bought pizza dough, or buy a pre-made flatbread or pizza crust
- CRUSHED TOMATOES: or chopped tomatoes, in can
- OLIVE OIL: use the best quality extra olive oil you can afford
- RED PEPPER FLAKES: crushed red pepper flakes
- BLACK PEPPER: coarse ground black pepper
- GARLIC: fresh garlic cloves, crushed
- FRESH BASIL LEAVES: fresh basil leaves
- PEPPERS: mini sweet peppers or red bell peppers
- RICOTTA CHEESE: we use part skim ricotta cheese
*see recipe card for quantities.
How to make Arrabbiata Sauce
- Using a medium sauce pan, pour olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, crushed red pepper and black pepper into pan and cook covered over medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add 4-6 basil leaves torn to sauce and stir in (sauce can be made up to a week in advance).
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Roast Peppers: to roast peppers, turn gas burner on and place peppers directly in flame until they are completely blackened and charred. Place on plate and allow to cool. Using your hands, rub charred skin off peppers and chop into ½" pieces.
- Roll Pizza Dough: using room temperature pizza dough, roll dough out on a floured surface until its desired thickness (or use a store bought flatbread or pizza crust).
- Bake: place dough onto pizza pan. Top with Arrabbiata sauce and roasted peppers and place in oven for 5 minutes.
- Add Ricotta: remove pizza and place spoonfuls of ricotta on pizza. Then return to oven and bake until crust is golden brown (about 7-10 minutes).
- Add Basil: Top with remaining basil leaves and enjoy.
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Featured review
❝ Easy and sooooo gooood! ❞
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Variations
- Make ahead: to save time, prepare the dough and the sauce the day before. Refrigerate them both until you are ready to assemble the pizza for a quick and easy meal.
- Spice it up: for an extra spicer pizza, add hotter peppers (like jalapeños or poblanos). You can also add more red pepper flakes to the sauce.
- Grill it: if it's nice outside (or you don't feel like turning on the oven) put the pizza stone right on your grill for a perfectly crisp, bubbly pizza crust. Just be sure to watch it, as grilled pizza crust can burn fast.
- Make it fast: you can always use a good store bought dough to cut the prep time on this recipe. No judgements. We do it all the time!
Storage
- Got leftovers? Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat in a 400°F oven (directly on the rack) for just a few minutes. It will crisp up the crust.
🍕 More pizza recipes
- Bee Sting Pizza: inspired by a famous Brooklyn pizzeria, this popular pizza is topped with fresh mozzarella, Soppressata, and a hot honey finish
- Pierogi Pizza: Creamy mashed potatoes, a blend of cheeses, and sautéed onions, all nestled in a crunchy crust. One bite and you'll understand why this is a cult favorite
- Grilled Arugula Pizza: fresh arugula and tomatoes top this light, simple pizza with no red sauce
- Meatball Pizza: Crunchy French bread topped with fresh tomato sauce, homemade meatballs, and a drizzle of pesto
FAQ
Pizza Arrabbiata is a delicious variation of pizza that features the bold and spicy flavors of Arrabbiata sauce. This sauce, made from tomatoes, garlic, and red pepper flakes, gives the pizza a unique and zesty taste.
Common toppings for Arrabbiata Pizza include roasted peppers, onions, olives, mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil. You can also add meats like pepperoni or sausage.
Absolutely! To make a vegan Arrabbiata Pizza, use a vegan cheese substitute or skip the cheese altogether. The Arrabbiata sauce is naturally vegan, so just ensure all your chosen toppings are plant-based.
Great side dishes for Pizza Arrabbiata include a fresh green Caesar Salad, Rosemary Foccacia, or Tomato Jalapeño Jam. These sides complement the spicy flavors of the pizza nicely.
Related Recipes
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- If you enjoyed it, please leave us a comment with ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pizza Arrabbiata recipe
Spice up your pizza game! A pizzeria style Pizza Arrabbiata starts with homemade spicy sauce. We top it with roasted peppers and ricotta.
- Total Time: 30 min
- Yield: 1 large pie 1x
Ingredients
- pizza dough: use our pizza dough recipe, store bought pizza dough, or a pre-made flatbread or pizza crust
- 1 pint crushed tomatoes
- ¼ C olive oil
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 10 basil leaves
- 6-8 small assorted peppers
- 1 C fresh ricotta cheese
Instructions
to make arrabbiata sauce:
- Using a medium sauce pan, pour olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, crushed red pepper and black pepper into pan and cook covered over medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add 4-6 basil leaves torn to sauce and stir in (sauce can be made up to a week in advance).
to assemble the pizza:
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- To roast peppers, simply turn gas burner on and place directly in flame until peppers are completely blackened and charred. Place on plate and allow to cool. Using your hands, rub charred skin off peppers and chop into ½ inch pieces.
- To prepare pizza, roll dough out on floured surface until its desired thickness.
- Place dough onto pizza pan and top with sauce and roasted peppers and place in oven for 5 minutes.
- Remove pizza and place spoonfuls of ricotta on pizza and return to oven and bake until crust is golden brown. About 7-10 minutes.
- Top with remaining basil leaves and enjoy.
Notes
- Make ahead: to save time, prepare the dough and the sauce the day before. Refrigerate them both until you are ready to assemble the pizza for a quick and easy meal.
- Spice it up: for an extra spicer pizza, add hotter peppers (like jalapeños or poblanos). You can also add more red pepper flakes to the sauce.
- Grill it: if it's nice outside (or you don't feel like turning on the oven). Put the pizza stone right on your grill for a perfectly crisp, bubbly pizza crust. Just be sure to watch it, as grilled pizza crust can burn fast.
- Make it fast: you can always use a good store bought dough to cut the prep time on this recipe. No judgements. We do it all the time!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: entrée
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 slices
- Calories: 769
- Sugar: 5.4 g
- Sodium: 1244.2 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Carbohydrates: 131 g
- Protein: 27.7 g
- Cholesterol: 42.2 mg
Marita says
Easy and sooooo gooood!
Jackie says
thanks so much Marita! We are so happy you liked it!!