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Cacio e Pepe Recipe to Make a Classic Roman Dish at Home

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Prepare to gorge on a pasta dish that is incredibly simple and unapologetically cheesy with our cacio e pepe recipe, and take your palate on a historic culinary journey with this beloved Roman classic.

Cacio e Pepe Recipe

Italian cooking is renowned worldwide for its simplicity and its ability to bring together simple ingredients and squeeze every last drop of flavor from them.

This is a pasta dish that Rome proudly calls one of its own. While cacio e pepe on the surface looks simple, this incredible three-ingredient combination, when cooked to perfection, instantly transports you to the Italian capital from the moment it touches your lips. This really is Italian cuisine at its simplest and most comforting.

What is Cacio e Pepe?

A raw, bold pasta dish of courageous simplicity, the name ‘cacio e pepe’ literally means ‘cheese and pepper’. Hailing from the historic Italian capital of Rome, this wonderfully simple dish traditionally combines Pecorino Romano cheese and cooked black pepper with hearty tonnarelli pasta, which is sometimes substituted for spaghetti.

Historically this was a dish prepared by nomadic shepherds who would travel throughout the region, as these three ingredients can be stored for long periods of time and hence could travel with them.

Variations

In time, as with many traditional dishes, people have experimented by adding the likes of butter, bacon, cream, and even trying it with different types of pasta.

However, in this recipe, we are going to honor our Roman ancestors by staying true to the authentic recipe, making it with Pecorino Romano, black pepper, and pasta. We hope you enjoy!

Recipe Ingredients

To make our simple cacio e pepe recipe, you’ll only need these three ingredients:

  • Thick Spaghetti (such as tonnarelli, spaghettoni, or bucatini) – 250 grams (8.8 oz)
  • Pecorino Romano Cheese – 125 grams (4.4 oz)
  • Black Pepper – 1 tsp whole black peppercorns

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1 – Grate the parmesan cheese using a microplane grater or the box grater (using the side with smaller holes). Don’t use pre-grated cheese.

Step 2 – Boil the pasta for the time indicated on the pack minus 2 minutes. To boil it, first set a pot of water on medium-high heat, bring it to a boil, salt the water, and add the pasta to the salted boiling water.

Never add pasta to a pot of cold water!

Step 3 – While the pasta is cooking, on a pan, over medium heat, add a handful of black peppercorns. Toast for about 3 minutes.

Note: If you don’t have a pestle and mortar, you can just toast cracked black pepper and skip the next step.

Step 4 – Transfer the toasted peppercorns to a pestle and mortar and grind them.

Step 5 – Transfer the freshly ground pepper back to the pan on low heat and add 1/3 cup of the pasta water.

Step 6 – Make the cheese paste. To the bowl of the grated pecorino romano, add 1/3 cup of paste water (a bit at a time while stirring continuously to make a cheese paste and avoid lumps in the sauce later on). Once the paste is formed, set it aside.

Step 7 – Add the pasta and 1/2 cup of water to the pan with the pepper water. Continue cooking for another 2 minutes while stirring.

Step 8 – Once the pasta is cooked, turn the heat on the pan off and wait about 20 seconds while stirring to help cool it down faster.

Step 9 – Add the cheese paste, stirring quickly and continuously to form a lump-free cheese sauce.

If the sauce is too thick, add a bit more pasta water. If it’s too thin, add some more Pecorino.

Step 10 – Finish with a final dusting of grated Pecorino Romano cheese once served on the plate or in a bowl.

Serving Suggestions

Dry White Wine – Because of the rich, creamy texture of the pasta, a crisp, dry white wine is a good choice.

Light Red Wine – If red is more your go-to, again because of the richness of the pasta and the spice of the pepper, a light-bodied red wine can work as a complimentary drink.

Sides – To keep things traditional, you should eat this pasta as it is. However, if you are looking for complimentary sides and dishes that work well with the rich, cheesy pasta, many people will turn to green salads and some type of simple protein to balance the creamy pasta. Bear in mind that this will not be seen as traditional.

Once you’re ready to eat, let the starchy pasta, melted cheese, and toasted black pepper meld, and take in that deep, intense aroma as you prepare to enjoy your first mouthful.

Cacio e pepe is the perfect example of Italian cuisine at its purest, maximizing flavor by combining a handful of fresh ingredients in simple and effective ways. If you’re hosting an Italian-themed night for family or friends, this is such an amazing dish to serve with some wine and a few appetizers.

Whether you’re in Rome or at home, as they say, do as the Romans do, and try this pasta dish!

Cacio e Pepe Recipe Card

Yield: 2

Cacio e Pepe

Cacio e Pepe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 250 grams (8.8 oz) thick spaghetti (such as tonnarelli, spaghettoni, or bucatini)
  • 125 grams (4.4 oz) Pecorino Romano cheese
  • 1 tsp whole black peppercorns

Instructions

  1. Grate the parmesan cheese using a microplane grater or the box grater (using the side with smaller holes). Don’t use pre-grated cheese.
  2. Boil the pasta for the time indicated on the pack minus 2 minutes. To boil it, first set a pot of water on medium-high heat, bring it to a boil, salt the water, and add the pasta to the salted boiling water. Never add pasta to a pot of cold water!
  3. While the pasta is cooking, on a pan, over medium heat, add a handful of black peppercorns. Toast for about 3 minutes. Note: If you don’t have a pestle and mortar, you can just toast already ground black pepper and skip the next step.
  4. Transfer the toasted peppercorns to a pestle and mortar and grind them.
  5. Transfer the freshly ground pepper back to the pan on low heat and add 1/3 cup of the pasta water.
  6. Make the cheese paste. To the bowl of the grated pecorino romano, add 1/3 cup of paste water (a bit at a time while stirring continuously to make a cheese paste and avoid lumps in the sauce later on). Once the paste is formed, set it aside.
  7. Add the pasta and 1/2 cup of water to the pan with the pepper water. Continue cooking for another 2 minutes while stirring.
  8. Once the pasta is cooked, turn the heat on the pan off and wait about 20 seconds while stirring to help cool it down faster.
  9. Add the cheese paste, stirring quickly and continuously, to form a lump-free cheese sauce. If the sauce is too thick, add a bit more pasta water. If it’s too thin, add some more Pecorino.
  10. Finish with a final dusting of grated Pecorino Romano cheese once served on the plate or in a bowl.

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Authors

  • Doina Johnson is a recipe developer and writer. Doina has been cooking for most of her life, and her style draws from many different influences. She cooked with her mother and grandma growing up in Eastern Europe, before adding modern, western influences to her style when living in the United States for about a decade. Then, she traveled full-time for several years, trying food in Europe, Asia, and South America, and bringing those influences into her own cooking. She strives to introduce passionate homecooks to world cuisine, generally by trying the food herself abroad and then recreating it at home and, at times, enlisting the help of local foodies and chefs.

  • Hey there! We are Dale and Doina, the founders of Nomad Paradise. We traveled full-time for over three years, and while we now have a home base in the U.K., continue to take trips abroad to visit new places and try new cuisines and foods. Our food guides are curated with the guidance of local foodies, and their contribution is indicated under each article. We also cook the foods we try abroad, and you can discover how to make them in our 'recipes from around the world' category.

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