Cacio e pepe is a traditional Roman pasta with a shiny sauce made from pecorino cheese and black pepper. Learn to make it with this easy recipe!
Cacio e pepe is like mac and cheese’s cool Italian cousin. It’s creamy and comforting, positive, nevertheless it’s additionally easy and stylish. Historically, this Roman dish consists of three elements: Pecorino Romano cheese, freshly cracked black pepper, and pasta. Somewhat pasta water helps the cheese and pepper come collectively to kind the pasta’s silky sauce.
I’ve been a fan of cacio e pepe since I first tasted it on a visit to Rome years in the past. I really like the salty funk of the cheese in opposition to the chunk of the black pepper. I’ve made it at dwelling many instances…with blended success. Regardless of its simplicity, cacio e pepe is famously difficult to make, and I’ve had my fair proportion of failed makes an attempt (suppose cheese clumps).
However after quite a lot of trial and error, I’ve lastly mastered my method. Made with one additional ingredient, this cacio e pepe recipe is simpler than a completely genuine one, and it tastes simply as scrumptious. Strive it on a weeknight or a date evening—it’d be excellent for both.
What’s cacio e pepe?
Cacio e pepe is a traditional Roman pasta dish. Its identify interprets to “cheese and pepper,” referring to its two star elements: Pecorino Romano and black pepper.
They—together with a little bit pasta cooking water—create a flippantly creamy, shiny pasta sauce. The sauce is historically tossed with an extended pasta form comparable to tonnarelli, bucatini, or spaghetti.
Cacio e Pepe Components
Right here’s what you’ll must make this cacio e pepe recipe:
- Pasta, in fact! An extended pasta form is conventional. Bucatini is my #1 choose for this recipe, however spaghetti or linguine works too.
- Cheese – Pecorino Romano is an aged sheep’s cheese. It provides this pasta its creamy texture and distinctive salty funk. For a enjoyable variation, use a 50/50 mixture of grated pecorino and Parmesan.
- Black pepper – Not the sort from a shaker! For the punchiest taste, grind the pepper your self simply earlier than making this dish.
- And unsalted butter – My secret ingredient. The most important problem of constructing cacio e pepe is getting the cheese to soften down right into a easy sauce. For many dwelling cooks (myself included), this may be difficult to attain utilizing solely cheese and pasta water. The butter makes this recipe a bit extra foolproof. Don’t skip it!
Discover the whole recipe with measurements beneath.
How you can Make Cacio e Pepe
You’ll find the whole recipe with measurements on the backside of this publish. For now, right here’s a fast overview of the way it goes:
- First, prepare dinner the pasta in a big pot of salted boiling water.
- In the meantime, warmth the butter and pepper in a big skillet over medium warmth. Prepare dinner till the butter is melted, about 30 seconds. Take away from the warmth.
- Subsequent, add the pasta to the skillet with the butter. When the pasta is al dente, scoop it immediately out of the pasta pot and into the skillet. (A spider or tongs work properly for this.)
- Make the sauce by steadily including among the starchy pasta water and the cheese to the skillet. Toss till the cheese types a shiny sauce that flippantly coats the pasta, including extra pasta water as wanted.
- Serve topped with extra black pepper and cheese. Yum!
Recipe Ideas
- Grate the cheese your self. I’ve given this tip earlier than in my recipes for mac and cheese and broccoli cheddar soup. Anytime you need cheese to soften down right into a creamy sauce, it’s finest to grate it your self. Pre-grated cheese sometimes incorporates anti-caking brokers that may forestall the cheese from forming a cohesive sauce.
- Grate it finely. Finely grating the cheese helps it soften rapidly and evenly, making it much less more likely to clump. I like to recommend utilizing a microplane zester!
- Don’t drain the pasta. Scooping the pasta immediately out of the pot implies that 1) it’ll be sizzling whenever you add it to the skillet and a couple of) it’ll deliver some starchy pasta water with it. Each of this stuff will assist you to create a easy sauce. Bonus: You’ll have a complete pot of pasta water helpful, so you need to use extra as wanted.
- Serve it straight away. This cacio e pepe recipe is finest sizzling off the range. Take pleasure in it with a giant inexperienced salad or roasted broccoli for a easy, scrumptious meal.
Extra Pasta Recipes to Strive
In the event you love this cacio e pepe recipe, attempt considered one of these easy pastas subsequent:
Cacio e Pepe
Serves 3 to 4
Cacio e pepe is a traditional Roman pasta. Its shiny sauce consists of two primary elements: black pepper and Pecorino Romano cheese. The standard dish will be difficult to arrange, so I add a little bit butter to my recipe to assist the sauce come collectively. It is simple and scrumptious!
- 8 ounces bucatini pasta
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon freshly floor coarse black pepper, plus extra for serving
- 2 ounces finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese, about 1 cup, plus extra for serving
Forestall your display from going darkish
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Convey a big pot of salted water to a boil. Put together the pasta in response to the bundle directions, cooking till al dente.
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In the meantime, warmth a big skillet (a 10-inch nonstick pan works properly) over medium warmth. Add the butter and pepper and prepare dinner for 30 seconds, or till the butter is melted. Take away the pan from the warmth.
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When the pasta is simply al dente, use tongs to switch it immediately from the pot to the skillet with the butter combination. Add ⅓ cup pasta water and toss to mix. Add half the cheese and toss to coat. Add the remaining cheese and proceed tossing till the cheese types a shiny sauce that flippantly coats the pasta. If wanted, add a number of extra tablespoons of pasta water as you toss to assist the cheese soften right into a easy, creamy sauce.
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Serve instantly, topped with extra freshly floor black pepper and cheese.
