Sometimes we just need a super quick and easy supper.

This ticks that box and doesn't compromise on taste. It's an arrabbiata sauce − a wonderful, thick and spicy tomato sauce for pasta. I think it’s best with spaghetti, but feel free to use it with what

It is great on its own in all its super spicy tomato glory but also works brilliantly as a base sauce for a spicy prawn and pasta dish, and also with chicken. Get fancy and add some fried chorizo slices, too, if you are out to impress. 

I've gone for the prawn version here. 

Serves 4

Ingredients
300g of dried spaghetti
500g of large prawns (raw)
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
A handful of basil leaves, roughly torn
2 red chillies, de-seeded and finely diced
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
A large and generous splash (1/4 of small glass) of red wine (optional)
4 tablespoons of olive oil
Cheese to serve − preferably parmesan

Get cooking…

Heat the olive in a saucepan then fry the onion, garlic and chilli slowly over a low heat.   

After about five minutes add the basil leaves and allow them to wilt. 

Pour in the wine and let it bubble for about a minute then pour in the two tins of chopped tomatoes. 

Turn the heat right down and let the sauce bubble and reduce into a nice thick consistency. This should take about ten minutes. 

While that is happening, bring a saucepan of water to the boil and cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the packet. (About ten to 12 minutes). When it is cooked, reserve a little of the cooking water and drain the rest of it away. 

Add the prawns to the thickened tomato sauce. Turn up the heat and cook for about three to four minutes until they turn pink. You can also use cooked prawns. 

Add the drained pasta to the tomato sauce and mix thoroughly, adding a bit of the reserved water if you need to loosen the sauce a little. 

Serve with some grated cheese on the top.