Take Marinara To New Levels Of Spicy With A Middle Eastern Pepper

While Italian cuisine already has an iconic spicy sauce called arrabbiata, which gets its kick from red pepper flakes, there are other ways to infuse heat into your marinara that can deepen its flavor and create an even more complex dish. One of our favorite ways to do this is by using a beloved Middle Eastern pepper called Aleppo. Hailing from Syria, it brings a moderate heat (measuring around 10,000 Scoville heat units) with slight hints of fruitiness and tang. It also has smoky undertones that add a unique and robust flavor. Since it's often used in the tomato-heavy sauce for shakshuka — a popular dish in both North Africa and the Middle East — it's a no-brainer that it will also complement marinara sauce.

To use it, you have a few different options. You can make an Aleppo pepper oil by infusing it into olive oil, then use that as the base for your marinara to build in plenty of flavor. For even more depth, saute the pepper directly at the start of your recipe alongside the oil, garlic, and onion. Start with about ½ teaspoon to gauge your preference, then add more as desired. If you're working with store-bought marinara — don't worry; there are plenty of grocery store sauces that taste homemade — you can simply sprinkle some Aleppo on top once it's heated through to give it a little kick.

Since it's basically a slightly spicier and smokier version of pasta sauce, your peppery marinara can be used to dress various dishes. We think it would go especially well with spaghetti and meatballs or chicken parm, since Aleppo pepper is often used to season meat and poultry. You could also use it in baked dishes, like stuffed shells or ziti al forno, as the mild cheeses often used in these dishes — like mozzarella and ricotta — will allow the peppery undertones to really shine.

While marinara is technically not the same as pizza sauce, you could add a little water to thin it out and then use it to make a delicious pie. Consider topping it with crumbled spicy sausage or salami to play off the flavors, and don't forget to add fresh herbs, like parsley and basil, to brighten it up. Finally, if you'd like to give a nod to its Middle Eastern origins, you can use it to make a variation of eggs in purgatory, the Italian cousin of shakshuka.