One Pot Chipotle Penne Arrabbiata

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I’m all about quick and easy meals, especially when they can be made in only one pan. And, it’s even better when they only require a few ingredients and take less than 30 minutes to prepare. Sounds impossible, right? But really, it’s not! You can whip up this delicious One Pot Chipotle Penne Arrabbiata in only a few minutes. Pair it with a glass of wine and maybe a gourmet cookie or two for dessert, and you’ve got yourself a wonderful homemade meal that’s special enough for holiday entertaining!

This time of year is so busy, and getting together with friends and family makes things even busier. And you never know when people will unexpectedly decide to drop in — been there, done that! But entertaining doesn’t necessarily mean you have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and sometimes it’s best to just enjoy a simple meal together. 

So I like to stock up on items that I can use whenever I need to make a simple meal, and when I found this Barilla Pronto penne pasta at Walmart the other night, I knew immediately that I had to give it a try.

I decided to make a simple red sauce to go with the penne, so I picked up a can of crushed tomatoes. And since red wine pairs so well with red sauce, I also grabbed a bottle of Tom Gore Cabernet Sauvignon. That got me thinking how well chocolate goes with red wine, so a box of Pepperidge Farm Chocolate Collection made its way into the cart, as well. 

I love that I was able to find everything I needed in one place!

This is probably the easiest pasta dish I’ve ever made and most likely, the quickest too. I even timed myself when I was cooking it to make sure I could keep the whole thing under 30 minutes.

I followed the package directions and added the pasta to a large skillet. Then, I added exactly three cups of water.

The pasta cooks in just 10 minutes and absorbs all the water as it cooks. You can add a little bit more water in the end to make sure it’s not too dry.

Arrabbiata is Italian for angry, and it just refers to the spiciness of the sauce. It’s usually made with red chili pepper flakes and garlic. I kept the garlic, but I used chipotle pepper powder, instead. This gives the sauce a deeper, smokier flavor with just a hint of heat. Nothing to be angry about here!

I poured some olive oil in the middle of the pan and quickly added chopped garlic and a little bit of the chipotle powder. Then, I poured the crushed tomatoes, some Italian seasoning, a dash of salt, and dinner was done in just about 20 minutes — easy! 

Because dinner doesn’t take long to cook, you can even take some time to linger at the table, and enjoy your guests. Plus, cleaning up is breeze!

And, don’t forget about dessert. There’s always room for some cookies, especially chocolate ones.

Ingredients for One Pot Penne Arrabbiata

We enjoyed this Chipotle Penne Arrabbiata so much as a family meal, but really, it’s also perfect for entertaining, especially if you have unexpected guests that drop by.

For more holiday entertaining ideas and information on in-store demos at Walmart, check out the Simple Entertaining Social Hub! And, if you have any tips and tricks for holiday entertaining, let me know.