Italian · Main · Medium
Cacio e Pepe
Rome's most famous three-ingredient pasta: spaghetti, sharp Pecorino Romano, and a wallop of black pepper, bound into a creamy sauce with nothing but starchy pasta water.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Cacio e Pepe, in 5 ideas
- Taking the pan off the heat before adding cheese is the single most important step, overheated Pecorino turns into rubbery clumps.
- Use the pasta water while it is screaming hot and very starchy, it is the only thing gluing this sauce together.
- Grate the Pecorino as fine as you can, fine cheese melts into sauce, coarse shreds stay stringy.
- Crack the pepper fresh, pre-ground pepper has lost most of its punch and this dish is all about the pepper.
- Serve on warm plates so the sauce stays silky instead of seizing at the table.
What you need
Ingredients
- 12 oz spaghetti or tonnarelli
- 2 cups finely grated Pecorino Romano
- 2 tbsp whole black peppercorns, cracked
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, for finishing
- Salt for the pasta water
How to make it
Directions
- Crack the peppercorns coarsely and toast them in a large dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the butter and let it melt.
- Boil the pasta in lightly salted water until very al dente, about 1 minute less than the package says. Reserve 2 cups of pasta water before draining.
- Add 1 cup of the hot pasta water to the skillet with the pepper and swirl to combine.
- Move the skillet off the heat. Let it cool for 1 minute, this prevents the cheese from clumping, then add the Pecorino in handfuls, tossing constantly, until a creamy sauce forms. Add more pasta water as needed.
- Add the drained pasta and toss vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes until every strand is coated and glossy.
- Plate immediately with extra cracked pepper and a little more Pecorino.
One big wedge of Pecorino Romano costs far less per pound than Parmesan, and this dish is the perfect excuse to buy it.