A seasonal pasta from Sfoglini, Calabrian Chili Cascatelli, is used to make this recipe which is a take on Marcella Hazan’s classic marinara sauce. Sfoglini is known for its shaped pasta such as vesuvius, reginetti and quattrotini and their flavored cascatelli and lumache with calabrian chili. Not only are the shapes fun to work with – which are the best to hold the sauce you are making – but a couple shapes of pasta are kicked up delightfully. Not to forget about the other pasta but you can also find hemp, eikorn or wheat giving customers quite a flavor experience.



Calabrian Chili Cascatelli with Marcella's Marinara
Recipe by Sfoglini.com, Adapted by Judi Graber
- 8 tbsp. butter (I used unsalted because that is what I had)
- 2 medium onions, grated (I do recommend using your food processor versus a box grater with large holes)
- 2 (28-oz.) cans whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes
- 1 large sprig of basil
- kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 1 lb. calabrian chili cascatelli (I like to use only 12 oz.)
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the shredded onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. Keep a close eye on the onions so they don’t brown; adjust heat if necessary.
I like to pour the tomatoes into a bowl along with a little water to rinse out the cans and chop and mash before adding to the onions. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes (I am assuming the pan is uncovered). Lower the heat to medium low or perhaps low if necessary. Crush the tomatoes more and lay the basil on top of the sauce while it cooks for another 15 minutes. Remove and discard the basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. You can set the sauce aside until you are ready to cook the pasta.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta 2 minutes from al dente, according to package directions. Strain (I would save 1/2 cup to 1 cup pasta water) and move the pasta to the tomato mixture. Stir well and simmer until all is cooked through. Serve with plenty of Parmesan cheese.
Recipe by cookingwithauntjuju.com
See also Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce with Butter




Looks delicious and perfect for the cold weather. This chili pasta sounds so intriguing. I need to look for it! 🙂
Thanks Ronit – the calabrian chili flavored pasta are special editions. I hope Sfoglini makes them year round. They add a nice kick and were perfect with this version of Marcella Hazan’s sauce 🙂
love your floating Santas!
sherry https://sherryspickings.blogspot.com/
LOL! They are snowmen 🙂
I love how this recipe is made of mostly pantry-staple ingredients. Now, I need to find some of that chili cascatelli as this dish is a must make!
Me too – I usually have all the ingredients except for fresh basil. The sauce is delicious with a kick from the pasta 🙂
One of my favorite cookbooks is Marcella’s cookbook Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. I’ve not had a recipe of hers that I didn’t like.
I love Italian cuisine and have many cookbooks – I need to use Marcella’s classic cookbook more often 🙂