Cacio e pepe – pasta with cheese and pepper Recipe
Cacio e pepe is one of the simplest yet most distinctive dishes from Rome. Just pasta, cheese and pepper – and the result is a creamy, peppery sauce without a drop of cream. It’s the Italian equivalent of “mac and cheese”, but in a grown-up version for those who like bold flavour.
Cacio e pepe is the quintessence of Roman cooking – just three ingredients, yet you get a sauce whose flavour you remember for weeks. Sharp, freshly ground pepper combines with intensely salty pecorino and the starch from the pasta water to create a creamy, velvety emulsion without a drop of cream. This dish shows how far you can go when you master technique instead of adding more ingredients.
Chef's tips
The most important thing is timing: I drain the pasta very al dente, keeping plenty of hot cooking water, and immediately transfer it to the pan with pepper so the starch can start working. I first mix the pecorino in a bowl with a little warm (not boiling!) pasta water until a thick paste forms – only then do I combine it with the pasta off the heat, tossing vigorously. If the cheese starts to clump and go stringy, you can save it by adding a splash of warm water and continuing to stir like crazy.
How to serve
Cacio e pepe is perfect as a late dinner after the cinema or a quick but “grown-up” pasta for an evening for two when you don’t want to cook for long. Serve it on warmed plates, topped with a little extra freshly ground pepper, with a glass of dry white wine (e.g. Frascati) or a light red. As a side, a simple rocket and lemon salad is enough to refresh the palate between bites of the intense, cheesy sauce.
Ingredients
- spaghetti or tonnarelli a thicker pasta holds the sauce better - 200 g
- pecorino romano cheese you can replace it with Parmesan, but the flavour will be milder - 80 g
- freshly ground black pepper ideally freshly crushed in a mortar - 2 teaspoons
- salt for the pasta water, use sparingly because the cheese is salty
Preparation
- Finely grate the pecorino cheese. Set aside to warm slightly to room temperature – it will melt more easily.
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Salt it, but a bit less than usual, as the cheese is very salty.
- Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, soft but with a slight bite in the centre. Reserve about 1.5 cups of the pasta cooking water.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat the freshly ground pepper in a large dry pan over low heat for 1–2 minutes, until very fragrant. Be careful not to burn it.
- Pour about 1/3 cup of the pasta water into the pan with the pepper. Simmer briefly until the liquid starts to bubble gently and takes on the pepper aroma.
- Transfer the cooked pasta to the pan with the pepper water. Toss for 1–2 minutes over medium heat so the pasta absorbs some of the liquid.
- Put the grated pecorino into a bowl and add a few tablespoons of hot pasta water. Stir vigorously with a spoon or whisk until you get a thick, smooth cheese paste without lumps. If needed, add a little more water.
- Remove the pan with the pasta from the heat. Add the cheese paste to the pasta and quickly toss with tongs or two forks for 1–2 minutes, until the cheese melts and forms a creamy sauce. If the sauce is too thick, add a bit of pasta water; if it’s too thin, keep tossing until it thickens.
- Taste and add a little salt if needed. Serve immediately, topped with a pinch of freshly ground pepper and a little extra cheese.
Storage
Cacio e pepe is best eaten immediately. If you must reheat it, add a splash of hot water and warm very gently, stirring constantly, but the texture will never be as creamy as when freshly made.
