Cacio e Pepe Pasta (Printer-friendly)
Creamy Roman pasta with Pecorino Romano and aromatic black pepper, ready in 25 minutes.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 7 oz spaghetti or tonnarelli
→ Cheese & Seasoning
02 - 2.8 oz Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated
03 - 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
04 - 1/2 tsp salt for pasta water
→ Other
05 - 4 cups water
# How-To Guide:
01 - Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a large pot and add salt.
02 - Add spaghetti and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally. Reserve about 1 cup of the starchy pasta water before draining.
03 - Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, toast the black pepper for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Add 1/2 cup of the reserved hot pasta water to the skillet with the pepper. Let simmer.
05 - In a large mixing bowl, combine grated Pecorino Romano with a few tablespoons of hot pasta water to form a thick paste.
06 - Add the cooked spaghetti to the skillet with pepper and toss well. Remove from heat.
07 - Gradually add the cheese paste to the pasta, tossing quickly and adding more reserved pasta water as needed to form a creamy, silky sauce that coats the noodles evenly.
08 - Serve immediately, topped with extra Pecorino Romano and a sprinkle of black pepper.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The sauce comes together in just minutes using only three ingredients you probably already have
- That moment when the cheese and pepper melt together into something that tastes far more luxurious than its humble parts
02 -
- If your cheese sauce starts looking grainy or separated, you probably added the cheese directly to heat, so always remove the pan from the stove before introducing the cheese paste
- The temperature of your pasta water matters because if it is not hot enough, the cheese will not melt into that smooth emulsion you are after
03 -
- Room temperature cheese creates a smoother emulsion than cold cheese right from the fridge
- Work quickly once the cheese hits the pasta because the sauce tightens up fast as it cools down