Cacio e Pepe
Authentic Cacio e Pepe — Roman Pasta with Pecorino and Black Pepper
Three ingredients, countless ways to mess it up — but get it right and you've got Rome's most elegant pasta dish. The magic happens when hot pasta water meets sharp pecorino and freshly cracked pepper, creating a silky sauce without a drop of cream.
ItalianDinnerVegetarianComfort FoodQuick Meals
Nutrition
Ingredients
- 1 lbspaghetti or tonnarelli pasta
- 1½ cuppecorino Romano cheese, finely grated (preferably freshly grated)
- 2 tspblack peppercorns, freshly cracked coarse
- kosher salt for pasta water
Instructions
- Get a large pot of generously salted water rolling at a vigorous boil. The water should taste like the sea — this is your only chance to season the pasta itself.
- Meanwhile, scatter the cracked pepper in a large skillet and toast over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally. You'll smell it getting nutty and aromatic — that's your cue to move to the next step.⏱ 1 min
- Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook it 1 minute shy of the package directions. It should still have a firm bite since it'll finish cooking in the skillet.
- Before draining, scoop out a full cup of that starchy pasta water — this is liquid gold for your sauce. Drain the pasta but don't rinse it.
- Pour 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water into the skillet with the toasted pepper and bring it to a gentle simmer. The starch will start working its emulsifying magic.
- Add the drained pasta directly to the skillet and toss everything together with vigor. The pasta should be slurping up that peppery water.⏱ 30 sec
- Kill the heat completely, then gradually shower in the grated pecorino while tossing constantly. Add pasta water a splash at a time until the sauce coats each strand like silk — not clumpy, not watery, but creamy perfection.⏱ 2 min
- Plate immediately and pass extra pecorino and pepper at the table. This dish waits for no one — the pasta will seize up if it sits too long.