Cacio e Pepe Pasta (Printable)
Traditional Roman pasta featuring a silky Pecorino Romano sauce with freshly cracked black pepper.
# 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
# Directions:
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 -
- Its incredibly fast and turns pantry staples into something restaurant worthy
- The technique transforms cheese and pepper into the most luxurious silky sauce youve ever tasted
02 -
- Never add cheese directly to heat or it will seize into a grainy mess instead of becoming silky
- The pasta water is crucial and creates the emulsion that makes the sauce creamy without cream
03 -
- Use a microplane or fine grater for the cheese to help it melt smoothly
- Save more pasta water than you think youll need, you can always discard the extra