Authentic cacio pepe

The secret of Cacio e Pepe is the creamy sauce that comes from combining the best quality Pecorino Romano cheese and a few spoonfuls of the water used to cook the spaghetti. A delightful recipe to comfort you when you need it the most!

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Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 20

Course: Main Course, Pasta, Side Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Vegetarian

Keyword: Cacio e Pepe, Regional dish, Romanian Recipe, Traditional Italian Recipe

Difficulty: Moderate

Servings:

Calories: 479kcal

Ingredients

2/3 lbs pasta rigatoni
2 cups pecorino romano grated
6 tsp black pepper crushed

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

PREPARE THE INGREDIENTS

Bring water to a boil in a pot. Finely grate the pecorino. Crush the peppercorns with a mortar and pestle to a fine consistency.

COOK THE PASTA

Add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook for half the time indicated on the package. You will finish cooking them in the pan.
While the pasta is cooking, heat a skillet over medium heat. Add 4 teaspoons of pepper and toast, for no more than a minute. Once the pepper is toasted, add a a scant ladle of pasta water to the pan.
Add the pasta to the pan and let the pasta finish cooking in the pan over medium heat. Toss the pasta and add its cooking water as needed.

MAKE THE SAUCE

While the pasta is cooking in the pan, add a small amount of pasta water to the grated pecorino. Stir in the pasta water and continue mixing until the mixture forms a paste.
When the pasta is al dente, remove it from the heat. Wait few seconds and then add the pecorino mixture to the pan and stir quickly.
A nice creamy sauce should form between the pecorino and the starchy liquid. Transfer the pasta to individual plates and spoon the sauce on top. Add the remaining 2 tsp of black pepper and dig in!

Notes

Make sure the water does not fill the pot . When the pasta cook will release its starch and given the less amount of water, the starch will be more concentrated. Remember that is the starch the main contributor to the creamy sauce.
Salt the water less than you would normally do, the pecorino is already very salty!
The finer the cheese is grated, the better the cream will form and the less it will clump.
Make sure to not toast the pepper for more than a minute. It is ready when you feel the pepper aroma!
The goal is to release the starch into the pan. You want a little starchy liquid to remain in the pan. This will help the cream forming.

Nutrition

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