Cacio e pepe is a basic Roman pasta with a shiny sauce product of pecorino cheese and black pepper. Learn to make it with this straightforward 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. A little bit 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 like the salty funk of the cheese in opposition to the chew of the black pepper. I’ve made it at residence many instances…with combined success. Regardless of its simplicity, cacio e pepe is famously tough to make, and I’ve had my justifiable share of failed makes an attempt (suppose cheese clumps).
However after loads of trial and error, I’ve lastly mastered my approach. Made with one additional ingredient, this cacio e pepe recipe is simpler than a wholly genuine one, and it tastes simply as scrumptious. Attempt it on a weeknight or a date night time—it’d be good for both.
What’s cacio e pepe?
Cacio e pepe is a basic Roman pasta dish. Its title interprets to “cheese and pepper,” referring to its two star elements: Pecorino Romano and black pepper.
They—together with somewhat pasta cooking water—create a flippantly creamy, shiny pasta sauce. The sauce is historically tossed with a protracted pasta form similar to tonnarelli, bucatini, or spaghetti.
Cacio e Pepe Elements
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 largest problem of creating cacio e pepe is getting the cheese to soften down right into a easy sauce. For many residence cooks (myself included), this may be tough 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
Yow will discover the whole recipe with measurements on the backside of this put up. 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 straight out of the pasta pot and into the skillet. (A spider or tongs work effectively for this.)
- Make the sauce by steadily including among the starchy pasta water and the cheese to the skillet. Toss till the cheese varieties a shiny sauce that flippantly coats the pasta, including extra pasta water as wanted.
- Serve topped with extra black pepper and cheese. Yum!
Recipe Suggestions
- 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 greatest to grate it your self. Pre-grated cheese sometimes accommodates 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 prone to clump. I like to recommend utilizing a microplane zester!
- Don’t drain the pasta. Scooping the pasta straight out of the pot signifies that 1) it’ll be sizzling if you add it to the skillet and a couple of) it’ll deliver some starchy pasta water with it. Each of these items will show you how to create a easy sauce. Bonus: You’ll have an entire pot of pasta water useful, so you need to use extra as wanted.
- Serve it immediately. This cacio e pepe recipe is greatest sizzling off the range. Get pleasure from it with an enormous inexperienced salad or roasted broccoli for a easy, scrumptious meal.
Extra Pasta Recipes to Attempt
When you love this cacio e pepe recipe, strive one in every of these easy pastas subsequent:
Cacio e Pepe
Serves 3 to 4
Cacio e pepe is a basic Roman pasta. Its shiny sauce consists of two most important elements: black pepper and Pecorino Romano cheese. The normal dish might be tough to arrange, so I add somewhat butter to my recipe to assist the sauce come collectively. It is easy 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
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Deliver a big pot of salted water to a boil. Put together the pasta in accordance with the package deal directions, cooking till al dente.
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In the meantime, warmth a big skillet (a 10-inch nonstick pan works effectively) 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 straight 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 varieties a shiny sauce that flippantly coats the pasta. If wanted, add a couple 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.
