Learn how to make the MOST glossy, cheesy cacio e pepe that rivals any restaurant, in just 15 minutes, using 4 simple ingredients. The perfect pasta for date night, girl’s night or a solo night in.
The first time I tried cacio e pepe in a restaurant, I couldn’t believe that a handful of simple ingredients had created something THAT delicious. Ultra silky and super cheesy with a hint of heat from the pepper – it’s a little like an elevated mac and cheese.
While the ingredients are simple, getting a gorgeously silky, emulsified cheesy sauce can be tricky. That’s because cheese likes to seize up when added to a pan that’s too hot and if that happens, instead of a creamy sauce, you’ll end up with clumps of cheese in a watery sauce. But there are a couple of tricks that will help. And honestly, even if your cheese does clump up a bit, it’s still going to taste gorgeous, so don’t worry TOO much.
I love to go all out when I’m making this and serve it with hand-rolled pici pasta (which is a bit like thick spaghetti) and I think it’s worth it (you just need a handful of ingredients and no special equipment or machine). But you can make the recipe with dried pasta of your choice – spaghetti or tagliatelle are good options.
Ingredients
- Pecorino romano. This sharp, sheep’s milk cheese is similar to parmesan, but it’s a little saltier and stronger. You need to grate it yourself for this recipe, so skip anything pre-grated. That’s because it won’t melt into the silky, emulsified sauce because pre-grated cheese tends to be coated with an anti-caking agent.
- Pepper. Because there are so few ingredients in this pasta, and black pepper is a big one, you want to use freshly ground black pepper if you can. It’s so much more peppery than ground and you want that here. I like to use pink peppercorns too, just for a little colour, but this is totally optional.
- Butter. Traditionally, cacio e pepe doesn’t use butter, but it is just so much easier to make that silky sauce if you do use it. That’s because it helps to emulsify the sauce.
- Pasta. You can use any shape you like – I love to make hand-rolled pici as it’s the shape it was paired with when I first tried cacio e pepe and it’s wonderful
For this recipe, you’ll also want to make sure you have a whisk and tongs (or a silicone spatula) to hand.
Tips for the best, creamiest, silky result
- Make sure your cheese is grated VERY finely for the best result. It’s key for the cheese to melt easily and quickly into the pasta, and having it finely grated will help hugely.
- It’s not traditional, but it is A LOT easier to make that lovely sauce if you use butter. It helps the starch in the pasta cooking water emulsify the sauce more easily, and it’s much more stable.
- You need to work quickly and confidently when you’re tossing the cheese through the pasta. I’m talking VERY vigorous shaking of the pan and mixing of the pasta through the sauce at the same time. This will help the cheese mix evenly through the pasta and create that silky sauce we’re after.
- Use less pasta cooking water than usual. One of the key elements in that silky sauce is starch pasta water, and to get it very starchy (and therefore easier to make into an emulsified sauce), I like to cook the pasta in a lot less water than I would normally. You want just enough water to cover your pasta.
How to make it
You want to have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go, because once you start, things come together very quickly. Set your ingredients up in little bowls next to your cooktop, along with any utensils you need (tongs, a spatula and a whisk). Grate your cheese finely – I like to use a microplane or you can use the fine side of a box grater). Melt the butter in a high-sided pan, then add the pepper and toss for a minute or two, until they smell super fragrant.
Cook your pasta until JUST al dente (cooked, with a bite to it). This is the part where you need to move quickly and confidently. Transfer about one-quarter cup of the pasta cooking water into the pot with the butter and pepper then use your whisk to vigorously toss the water through the butter and pepper, over medium-low heat.
You’re creating the start of the emulsified sauce so you should start to see the sauce changing and becoming more cohesive. Then transfer your pasta straight from the cooking pot into the butter and pepper sauce and toss it through.
Scatter all your cheese on top of the pasta and then LEAVE IT for a minute or two, so it starts to melt using the residual heat of the pasta. This is going to help it melt seamlessly into the sauce, so don’t rush it. Once you can see that the cheese has started to melt, toss it vigorously through the pasta, using one hand to shake the pan about, and the other to toss the pasta with a spatula.
As you’re doing this, you should see that silky sauce starting to form. If it looks a little thick, add more pasta water and toss through again. Keep tossing until the creamy sauce has formed and is coating every strand of pasta, then transfer to serving plates and enjoy right away.
Got a question?
Why is my cacio e pepe lumpy?
The most likely culprit is heat. Turn the heat RIGHT down, or turn it completely off but leave your pan on the stovetop, before you add the cheese. You also need to make sure you let the cheese start to melt on top of the pasta first. This gives it a head start as it gently heats up.
I can’t find pecorino, can I use parmesan?
Yes, you can! Just make sure you grate it yourself, rather than using pre-grated.
Can I make it ahead of time?
Cacio e pepe is best served right away – the silky sauce won’t be the same when it’s reheated. But, I have reheated it before and it still tastes great, just not quite AS great. The pasta will continue to absorb liquid as it sits, so add a splash of water when you reheat it, to loosen it up. The microwave is fine for this, or you can do it on the stovetop.
Watch how to make it
In the UK? Shop this recipe on the Cherrypick app
You can easily shop all the ingredients you need to make this lovely cacio e pepe, in one click, on the free Cherrypick app. Just shop what you need, and then the ingredients will be delivered straight to your door by their partner, Sainsbury’s.
Like this recipe? You might enjoy these quick pasta recipes too
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave me a comment below.
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How To Make Cacio E Pepe In 15 Minutes (With Only 4 Ingredients)
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 2 servings
Diet: Vegetarian
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Description
Learn how to make the MOST glossy, cheesy cacio e pepe that rivals any restaurant, in just 15 minutes, using 4 simple ingredients. The perfect pasta for date night, girl’s night or a solo night in.
Before you start cooking, make sure you have all your ingredients – and the equipment you need (tongs, a whisk and a spatula) – prepped and ready to go as once you add the pasta to the sauce, things need to come together quickly.
Ingredients
Units
USM
- 7oz/200g pasta (spaghetti, linguine, bucatini or try making your own pici)
- 2.5oz/70g butter, cubed
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2.5oz/70g pecorino cheese, very finely grated (or use parmesan)
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Instructions
- Cook your pasta. Bring a large pot, filled about 1/3 of the way up with water to a boil, then add a pinch of salt. Add your pasta and cook until al dente (use your packet as the guide here).
- Toast the pepper. Melt the butter in a large, high-sided frying pan over medium heat, then add the crushed black pepper. Cook for a couple of minutes, until smelling lovely and fragrant, then turn the heat off.
- Add pasta water to your pepper. Once your pasta is almost cooked, transfer about ¼ cup of pasta cooking water to the pan with the butter and pepper, turn the heat to low and whisk VIGOROUSLY to create an emulsified sauce. You’ll want to essentially shake the pan with one hand while whisking with the other – it will end up looking like a more opaque, glossy sauce. Repeat with another splash of pasta water, then let it simmer for a minute or two as it thickens up.
- Add the pasta. Once your pasta is cooked, use tongs to transfer it straight into the pan with the sauce (don’t worry if more pasta water goes in too). Try to arrange the pasta on an even layer in the pan, if you can. Turn the heat RIGHT down, and scatter the grated pecorino all over the pasta, as evenly as possible. Leave it there for about 30 seconds so it starts to melt from the residual heat on the pasta. This is key for creating a silky smooth sauce.
- Toss the pasta through the sauce. Once it’s started to melt, use the tongs to toss the pasta vigorously again, until you have a lovely thick, emulsified cheesy, peppery sauce. If it’s a bit thick, you can add a splash more pasta water. Divide between plates, then enjoy right away.
Notes
Make sure your cheese is grated VERY finely for the best result. It’s key for the cheese to melt easily and quickly into the pasta, and having it finely grated will help hugely.
It’s not traditional, but using butter makes it A LOT easier to make that lovely sauce. It helps the starch in the pasta cooking water emulsify the sauce more easily, and it’s much more stable.
You need to work quickly and confidently when you’re tossing the cheese through the pasta. I’m talking VERY vigorous shaking of the pan and mixing of the pasta through the sauce at the same time. This will help the cheese mix evenly through the pasta and create that silky sauce we’re after.
Use less pasta cooking water than usual. One of the key elements in that silky sauce is starch pasta water, and to get it very starchy (and therefore easier to make into an emulsified sauce), I like to cook the pasta in a lot less water than I would normally. You want just enough water to cover your pasta.
INGREDIENT NOTES: Pecorino is traditional, but can be tricky to find. You can absolutely use Parmesan and it’ll still be wonderful. Just make sure you grate it yourself. I love to throw in pink peppercorns when I can find them for a pop of colour (this is especially fun for date nights!) so I recommend giving that a go if you come across them.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 10
Category: pasta
Method: stove top
Cuisine: italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 350g
- Calories: 763
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 511.9mg
- Fat: 39.4g
- Saturated Fat: 24g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12.9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 77.4g
- Fiber: 3.8g
- Protein: 24.7g
- Cholesterol: 111.7mg
Keywords: cacio e pepe, pici cacio e pepe
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