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Active Time
20 minutes
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Total Time
35 minutes
Cacio e pepe translates to cheese and pepper—and those two pantry staples are the stars of this classic Roman pasta dish. Add a little butter, olive oil, and reserved pasta water, and you can transform noodles into dinner with a silky, savory, rich sauce.
Most cacio e pepe recipes call for Pecorino Romano cheese, a hard sheep’s-milk cheese with a piquant, sharp flavor. This version combines that traditional cheese with a touch of Grana Padano, which is milkier and mellows out theassertive Pecorino. Making cacio e pepe with two of Italy’s best cheeses adds layers of flavor to this simple dish; if you have difficulty finding them,Parmesan may be substitutedfor either, for a still-creamy sauce with a nuttier profile.
Whichever cheese you bring home, make sure it’s a whole block and grate it yourself. Pre-grated cheese has an anticaking agent that will prevent the shreds from melting into the starchypasta cooking water, and using it could lead to clumping. It’s also wise to use whole peppercorns andcrack them yourselffor this dish—the floral flavor of fresh pepper really shines here.
This recipe also calls fortonnarelli, a type of long pasta that’s about twice the thickness of spaghetti. You could, of course, substitute that more ubiquitous pasta shape—or opt for bucatini, linguine, orany other pasta shapeyou love (or already have on hand).
Editor’s note:This recipe was originally published in December 2015.
Ingredients
6–8 servings
Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, filling pot slightly less than normal. (This increases the amount of starch leached from the pasta as it boils.)
Step 2
Add pasta and cook, stirring frequently, until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain pasta, transferring 6 cups pasta cooking liquid to a medium saucepan; keep warm. Wipe out pasta pot.
Step 3
Cook oil, pepper, and butter in pasta pot over high heat, stirring, until fragrant, 2 minutes. Add 1½ cups pasta cooking liquid, bring to a boil, and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, 3–4 minutes. Add pasta and 1½ cups pasta cooking liquid and cook over high heat, stirring vigorously to help draw starch from pasta, until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.
Step 4
Remove pot from heat and add 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Add 3 cups Pecorino Romano in large handfuls, stirring and tossing vigorously with tongs, until very creamy. Stir in Grana Padano, adding more pasta cooking liquid if pasta is dry. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately with more Pecorino Romano on the side.
Leave a Review
Reviews (12)
Back to TopTo Gina, from Miramar... "pepe" is pepper. It's mentioned & explained in the very opening line of the recipe.
Anonymous
12/18/2022
Maybe I missed it but there was absolutely no mention of the Pepe
Gina
Miramar, Florida
8/16/2022
Easy and simple recipe. Don’t be tempted to reduce the amount of cheese, it is all needed. Use a good dried imported pasta, fresh pasta doesn’t have the texture to stand up to the stirring.
nkmiles
Winter Park, FL
3/3/2019
Made the dish as per recipe instructions and it was awesome! Very impt. to get the cheeses named in recipe and to use the correct, imported pasta. I used the spaghetti alla chittara, as that was what was available in my local Italian specialty foods store. My mistake was using less pasta than called for, due to making it for two, the sauce was thinner than it should have been. I will make needed adjustments next time. The pepper, fresh ground, is essential. Must use amount indicated for full flavored dish. Was introduced to this dish in Rome, was eager to replicate it for memory's sake, loved it!
cindyroche
Los Angeles, CA
1/24/2016
This was so amazing! I followed the recipe exactly and loved it! I had leftovers the next two days for lunch although they don't reheat well. If you add a splash of milk and a bit more cheese to the leftovers, it combines nicely over the stove top.
annamarie12
Tucson, AZ
1/22/2016
昨晚做了这个使用1磅意大利扁面条the pasta. I followed the directions exactly and it came together beautifully. Everyone loved it and I'd definitely do it again the same way. It's crucial to use all the pepper and using dried pasta rather than fresh. Though I often make my own pasta, you need dried to get the essential starch.
duany
Burlington, VT
1/12/2016
:-(. A little bit of a bust. I used fresh pasta, and just cooked for a couple minutes. I used really nice cheese, followed the direction with exception of pasta cooking time. However, adding the pasta back with pasta water, the pasta got softer. It resulted in a nice flavor, but very soft texture. Maybe next time I wouldn't cook the pasta first, and just let it cook snd get starchy with plain water. Humph.
iandlmom
1/9/2016
The steps in this recipe had me intrigued! I just HAD to try it! I used what I had on hand, which, actually, was NOT great cheeses, or really good pasta, but it turned out WONDERFUL! The steps made me feel like it lifted my boxed Kroger with extra fiber pasta and Kraft Parmesan cheese to a whole other level. I was looking at how much pepper the recipe called for, freaked me out a little bit so I eyeballed it and didn't use as much, but I should've! My family loved it! This is a keeper!
haircutcarol
1/4/2016
Tasty, but when I added the cheese, it just clumped up. And as much as I love wads of gooey cheese, it does not work in the midst of the pasta. The pasta was still flavorful, but I must of have missed the trick of incorporating the cheese into the sauce correctly. Any tips would be appreciated.
dlagrave
Salt Lake City, UT
1/4/2016
Exactly how my Sicilian nana used to make it!
Vito_spa
San Diego, CA
1/3/2016
Delicious! We loved this dish. The sauce is silky and coats the pasta perfectly (I used spaghetti). The cracked pepper adds the right amount of heat, and the combination of cheeses is perfect. The dish has a beautiful texture and is deeply satisfying this time of year. Enjoy!
mbcb
Drexel Hill, PA
12/19/2015
By comparison to many other recipes, including the one I have used for years, this Cacio e Pepe falls short. The quantity of pasta cooking liquid suggested is insane, yielding a very loose sauce that has no hope of reducing in time. Even the 3+ cups of Romano cannot bring it together. I’ve cooked this multiple times now, with varying amounts of liquid added. None have come close to the many others I have made. Find a better recipe.
Anonymous
6/15/2023
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