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The Easiest Pasta You’ll Ever Make: Cacio e Pepe
Cacio e Pepe literally means “cheese and pepper” in Italian. In Italy, it’s a beloved favorite, and you can find many different takes on it all over Rome, with each place eager to claim they make the best version.The great news is that you can easily create the best version of Cacio e Pepe right in your own kitchen!
Cacio e Pepe: The Legend
This pasta dish is a classic from Rome, dating back to the 18th or 19th century. It likely started with local shepherds who needed simple meals they could carry. They would bring slices of pecorino cheese, black peppercorns, and dried spaghetti (among other items) in their sacks while on long journeys with their flocks. Shepherds required high-calorie meals that would last during their long travels. Aged pecorino was known to last a long time, and pasta provides the necessary carbs and calories for energy. Together, they create an unbeatable combination for this classic dish.
Today, this dish is enjoyed by food lovers and busy parents alike for its simplicity, affordability, and the fact that most family members are happy to eat pasta for dinner.
The Pasta Choices
Spaghetti is the traditional pasta used for making Cacio e Pepe; however, like many classic dishes, there are plenty of variations. My preferred noodle is Bucatini, which is best known for its thick, hollow shape that allows it to absorb sauces effectively. You can also use Tonnarelli or Rigatoni as alternatives.
The Pepper
Choosing the right pepper is very important for this dish because it has so few ingredients. High-quality ingredients make a big difference.
Tellicherry peppercorns are a special grade of black pepper from the Malabar Coast of India. These peppercorns are picked later in the ripening process, which helps develop their unique taste. Tellicherry peppercorns have a strong flavor with citrus notes and are often described as having a hint of sweetness. They provide a milder and more nuanced heat than other types of black pepper.
I recommend purchasing Tellicherry Peppercorns and a Peppermill, not only for this dish but for many others as well.
Don’t overfill your pasta pot with water. We want the starches in the pasta water to be very concentrated for this recipe, which will later help to emulsify the cheese sauce and adhere it to the pasta. I recommend filling your stockpot no more than half full.
Ingredients:
1 lb dried Bucatini pasta
3 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tsp black pepper, preferably fresh cracked and coarse – using a pepper mill with whole peppercorns produces the best flavor
1-1/4 cup reserved pasta water
2 cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese, preferably finely grated. A microplane works best for this.
*It is essential to have higher-quality items for this dish since the ingredients are few and simple.
Directions:
- Place a pasta pot filled with heavily salted water and on the stove over high heat. Once boiling, carefully drop in pasta and cook according to package directions, minus 2 minutes. The pasta will continue to cook in the skillet later on so we want to undercook it in the pasta pot.
- While pasta is cooking, grate the Pecorino Romano with a microplane. Set aside.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and melt it completely. Add the pepper to lightly toast it. About 20-30 seconds, stirring constantly. It will become very fragrant.
- Use a ladle to scoop out 1-1/2 cups of pasta water into a glass measuring cup (Do not put boiling water into a plastic measuring cup). Pour about 1/2 cup of water directly into the skillet with the pepper. Stir it gently until it is combined with the butter and pepper.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and slowly whisk in the cheese until melted and smooth.
- Drain pasta and place noodles directly into the skillet. Toss with tongs to coat. Slowly add in the remaining reserved pasta water and toss with noodles until the desired sauce consistency is achieved. You most likely will not use the full cup of pasta water and that’s okay! Better to have too much than not enough.
- Top with a fresh grind of cracked pepper and some additional grated Pecorino cheese.
Serve with garlic bread or sliced French bread with olive oil and Italian herbs for dipping
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