Along with carbonara and amatriciana, cacio e pepe is one of Rome’s essential pasta dishes, served at restaurants all over the Italian capital. Like many of the Eternal City’s best dishes, a good cacio e pepe recipe is about simplicity. Classic versions call for just pasta, salted water, freshly ground pepper, and Pecorino Romano, a Roman sheep’s milk cheese. Ours tosses a bit of Grana Padano or Parmesan into the mix for a more rounded cheese flavor that melds warmth, nuttiness, and sharpness. When combined properly, all the elements come together like sorcery into a lusciously cheesy dish with a creamy sauce.
Ensuring this emulsified Italian pasta sauce is free of clumps when working the cheese into the starchy water can take practice. The quality of each ingredient is key: Use good butter and the best pasta you can afford and ensure your peppercorns are fresh. Classic cacio e pepe uses tonnarelli, a long pasta noodle that’s slightly thicker than spaghetti, but any long or short pasta works (think spaghetti, bucatini, rigatoni, or fettuccine). But the most important component is that cheese: Do not use pre-grated cheeses, which often include additives that prevent clumping in the bag but will cause clumping in your sauce. Use a box grater, not a fine Microplane, for coarsely grated cheese shreds that easily disperse and melt into the sauce without seizing up.
Cacio e pepe is best served immediately, so be sure to set your table before you start cooking. The dish needs little accompaniment, but a bright green salad is a nice addition to balance out the richness. And we'd never say no to garlic bread.
Need a vegan version? Try this one.
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What you’ll need
Dutch Oven
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Heatproof Measuring Cup
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Colander
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Tongs
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Large Pot
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Recipe information
Total Time
20 minutes
Yield
2 servings
Ingredients
6
3
1
¾
⅓
Preparation
Step 1
Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a 5-qt. pot over high heat. Season boiling water with kosher salt; add 6 oz. pasta (such as egg tagliolini, bucatini, or spaghetti) and cook, stirring occasionally, until about 2 minutes before tender. Drain, reserving ¾ cup pasta cooking water.
Step 2
Meanwhile, melt 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed, in a Dutch oven or other large pot or skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper and cook, swirling pan, until toasted about 1 minute.
Step 3
Add ½ cup reserved pasta water to skillet and bring to a simmer. Add cooked pasta and remaining 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed. Reduce burner to low heat and add ¾ cup finely grated Grana Padano or Parmesan cheese, stirring and tossing with tongs until melted. Remove pan from heat; add ⅓ cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese, stirring and tossing until cheese melts, sauce coats the pasta, and pasta is al dente. (Add more pasta water if sauce seems dry.) Transfer pasta to warm bowls, garnish with more black pepper, and serve.
Editor’s note: This cacio e pepe recipe was first printed in our May 2011 issue. Head this way for more of our very best pasta recipes →
Nutrition Per Serving
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