Classic Roman Cacio e Pepe (Printer-friendly)

Classic Roman pasta with Pecorino Romano cheese and freshly cracked black pepper in a silky sauce.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 14 oz spaghetti or tonnarelli

→ Cheese

02 - 4.2 oz Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated

→ Seasonings

03 - 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns, freshly cracked
04 - 1 teaspoon kosher salt for pasta water

→ Optional

05 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter for extra creaminess

# Steps:

01 - Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt, then cook spaghetti until al dente, about 1 minute less than package instructions. Reserve 1.5 cups of pasta cooking water before draining.
02 - While pasta cooks, toast freshly cracked black pepper in a large dry skillet over medium heat for about 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add 1 cup of reserved hot pasta water to the skillet with pepper. Reduce heat to low.
04 - Add drained pasta to the skillet and toss to coat, allowing the pasta to absorb the peppery water.
05 - Remove skillet from heat. Gradually sprinkle Pecorino Romano while tossing and stirring vigorously to create a creamy sauce. Add reserved pasta water a splash at a time if sauce is too thick.
06 - If desired, add butter and toss until melted and emulsified.
07 - Serve immediately, topped with extra Pecorino Romano and cracked black pepper.

# Top Tips:

01 -
  • It takes less time than ordering takeout but tastes like you studied under an Italian grandmother.
  • The creamy sauce forms without cream, just starchy water and good cheese doing their quiet magic.
  • You can make it on autopilot after a long day and still feel like you actually cooked something real.
02 -
  • The skillet must be off the heat when you add the cheese or it will seize into a gritty mess instead of melting smooth.
  • Pre-grated cheese from a bag contains anti-caking agents that ruin the sauce, so spend the two minutes grating a block yourself.
  • If your sauce breaks and looks oily or clumpy, a splash of cold pasta water and frantic tossing can sometimes bring it back from the edge.
03 -
  • Use a skillet wide enough to toss the pasta without it flying everywhere, and resist the urge to add olive oil, which will make the sauce slippery instead of creamy.
  • Crack your peppercorns in a mortar and pestle or under a heavy pan for uneven chunks that give you bursts of heat instead of uniform dust.
  • If you want to practice the technique without wasting good Pecorino, try it once with cheaper cheese until you get the feel for the tossing and the timing.
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