Easy, authentic, and creamy Cacio e Pepe! Made alongside just 3 ingredients including pasta, Romano cheese together with black pepper. It’sec such a humble however impressive dish amongst unmistakably delicious season!
What is Cacio e Pepe?
Cacio e pepe is an inexpensive pasta dish that originated from Rome, Italian Republic. Cacio e pepe translates from Italian to English every bit “cheese too pepper” which is the ground of the sauce.
It is pronounced ‘ca-cho ee peh pay.’ You may think of the texture as well as gustation existence reminiscent to alfredo or mac as well as cheese.
When made authentically it alone requires pasta (such as spaghetti, bucatini or tonnarelli), Pecorino Romano cheese, cracked black pepper, salt, and the boiled pasta H2O.
The process of preparing it is quite simple:
- Pasta is boiled until it starts to soften, simply a little over halfway cooked.
- Then it’second transferred to a skillet alongside approximately of the pasta cooking water in addition to at that place it cooks a bit longer (this two pan cooking approach is to concentrate that starchy water further and so it acts every bit a actually great binder).
- From there a cheese paste is made amongst the Romano cheese in addition to or so pasta H2O, too that is added to the pasta off estrus in addition to tossed to melt.
It’second such an slow recipe that’sec a dinner game changer for a quick, light prep dish that will never disappoint. Plus it’s a recipe amongst maximum flavor built off alone ii basic ingredients – plus common salt and pepper.
The central hither is to follow the method closely. It took me quite some fourth dimension to perfect this dish too achieve a polish rich sauce (no clumping!) – specially without the take of adding any crude oil or butter (which is non authentic).
But equally written, following all the steps closely, y'all should be correct on your style to success!
Cacio e Pepe Recipe Ingredients
- 10 oz. bronze cut spaghetti
- Salt
- i ane/two tsp coarsely ground black pepper, or to sense of taste
- 4 oz. Pecorino Romano cheese, thinly grated amongst a rasp grater
How to Make Cacio e Pepe
- Boil water inward pot: Pour vii cups warm H2O into a big pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high rut in addition to flavour with table salt (I function ane.v tsp).
- Cook pasta partially: Once it boils add together pasta together with fix almost one/3 shy of the al dente fourth dimension listed on the bundle (so if it lists ten to 11 minutes fix nigh 7). Do not drain pasta H2O!
- Toast pepper inwards skillet: When pasta is well-nigh done add pepper to a 12-inch skillet together with heat over medium-low heat until lightly toasted, tossing occasionally, most 2 minutes.
- Add pasta water to skillet: Using a ladle (the long handle volition prevent steam burns), pour 1 loving cup water pasta water from spaghetti pot into skillet. Then set up aside one/four loving cup pasta H2O by cheese to cool slightly.
- Toss pasta in skillet and complete cooking: Add the almost cooked pasta to skillet together with fix in addition to toss rattling oftentimes until pasta is merely al dente, nearly 5 minutes, spell adding more than pasta water a one-half ladle at a fourth dimension every bit needed to thin.
- Cool slightly: Remove from heat together with let the pan as well as pasta cool for 1 – ii minutes so the cheese doesn’t clump from excess estrus.
- Make cheese “paste”: Meanwhile add the Romano cheese to a medium bowl. Pour inwards that one/iv loving cup pasta H2O into cheese and stir amongst a fork to blend.
- Toss cheese mixture in addition to pasta: Pour cheese mixture over pasta. Toss to melt as well as coat the pasta with cheese while adding more pasta H2O from pot to thin equally needed.
- Serve right away for the best consistency (every bit it cools the sauce volition thicken quite a flake).
Tips for the Best Cacio e Pepe
- Only function an Italian imported Pecorino Romano, others probable won’t run well hither and the flavor will live lacking.
- Use a rasp way grater to finely grate the cheese so it melts speedily and easily.
- For best results role a bronze cutting spaghetti, this specific type volition unloosen more than starches which will aid bind the sauce too pasta more than adequately.
- Stick with the sum of H2O listed to prepare the pasta. Any more than as well as you lot’ll drowned it out. You desire a smallish total for a more concentrated starch content.
- Do not drain the pasta inwards a colander, you lot desire that pasta H2O nearby because yous’ll function a fair total of it throughout the procedure. Use tongs or a pasta ladle to remove it right from the boiling pot of H2O too transferring to the skillet.
- Keep to the pace of toasting the pepper offset for an extra layer of flavor.
- Use chopsticks or long kitchen tweezers (if yous have them) when tossing the pasta in the skillet then pasta doesn’t intermission then easily. Tongs together with other tools don’t work quite too.
- Let the pasta cool off rut simply slightly before adding the cheese mixture. Otherwise it tin overheat as well as clump upwards from the overly-hot residuum estrus of the pan.
- As it rests it thickens so you tin can thin amongst more than pasta H2O equally needed.
Possible Variations
Those these aren’t traditional it tin can live a helpful way to switch things upwards based on what y'all accept on mitt.
- Use a different long strand pasta inward home of spaghetti such every bit the bucatini, tonnarelli, linguine, fettuccine, vermicelli, or capellini.
- Add a cooked poly peptide such as shrimp, chicken, pancetta or bacon.
- Try it with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese in place of Pecorino Romano cheese.
How to Reheat
- Of form this dish is best the solar day it’s made just whatever extra is still delicious the side by side mean solar day likewise, the consistency is just thicker.
- Just rewarm private servings in the microwave until heated through. Preferably toss halfway through heating.
More Classic Italian Favorites to Try
Cacio e Pepe
Easy together with authentic Cacio e Pepe! Made alongside merely four ingredients including pasta, romano cheese, dark pepper in addition to salt. It'second such a humble nonetheless impressive dish alongside unmistakably satisfying flavour!
Servings: iv
Ingredients
- 10 oz. bronze cutting spaghetti
- Salt
- i i/2 tsp coarsely earth dark pepper, or to gustatory modality
- iv oz. Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated
Instructions
- Pour 7 cups warm H2O into a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high rut together with flavor amongst table salt (I role i.five tsp).
- Once it boils add pasta together with make near one/iii shy of the al dente fourth dimension listed on the packet (so if it lists x to xi minutes ready virtually seven). Do not drain pasta water!
- When pasta is well-nigh done add pepper to a 12-inch skillet together with estrus over medium-low oestrus until lightly toasted, tossing often, well-nigh two minutes.
- Using a ladle (the long handle volition forestall steam burns), pour 1 loving cup water pasta water from spaghetti pot into skillet alongside pepper. Then scoop out as well as gear up aside i/four cup pasta water by cheese to cool.
- Add the near cooked pasta to skillet and ready too toss real often until pasta is just al dente, virtually 5 minutes, spell adding more than pasta water a half ladle at a time equally needed to thin (it shouldn't ever live dry, in that location should live approximately excess moisture).
- Remove from rut together with allow the skillet as well as pasta cool for i - 2 minutes.
- Meanwhile add together the Romano cheese to a medium bowl. Pour inward that ane/4 cup pasta water into cheese and stir with a fork to blend.
- Pour cheese mixture over pasta. Toss to melt as well as coat the pasta alongside cheese spell adding more than pasta water from pot to sparse every bit needed.
- Serve correct away.
Notes
HELPFUL TIPS FOR SUCCESS
- Only use an Italian imported Pecorino Romano, others probable won't go good hither as well as the season will be lacking.
- Use a rasp way grater to finely grate the cheese so it melts apace together with easily.
- For best results purpose a bronze cut spaghetti, this specific type volition loose more starches which will assistance bind the sauce together with pasta more than adequately.
- Stick amongst the sum of water listed to prepare the pasta. Any more in addition to yous'll drowned it out. You desire a smallish sum for a more concentrated starch content.
- Do not drain the pasta inward a colander, you lot desire that pasta H2O nearby because you lot'll purpose a fair amount of it throughout the process. Use tongs or a pasta ladle to take it correct from the boiling pot of water too transferring to the skillet.
- Keep to the pace of toasting the pepper commencement for that extra layer of flavour.
- Use chopsticks or long kitchen tweezers (if y'all take them) when tossing the pasta inwards the skillet and then pasta doesn't intermission then easily. Tongs as well as other tools don't work quite likewise.
- Let the pasta cool off heat but slightly earlier adding the cheese mixture. Otherwise it tin can overheat together with clump upward from the overly hot remainder oestrus of the pan.
- As it rests it thickens so you can thin with more than pasta water equally needed.
Nutrition Facts
Cacio e Pepe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 375
Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Fat 9gfourteen%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 2g
Cholesterol 29mgx%
Sodium 345mgfifteen%
Potassium 192mg5%
Carbohydrates 54geighteen%
Fiber 2geight%
Sugar 2gii%
Protein 18g36%
Vitamin A 122IUii%
Calcium 320mg32%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition values are estimates exclusively. See full disclaimer hither.