An iconic dish of the ‘Eternal City’Roma,cacio e pepe or pasta de pepe simply translates to cheese and pepper pasta. While this dish is definitely not as well known as other Roman classics like spaghetti alla carbonara, it is cheesy indulgence at its finest.Cacio e pepe proves you don’t need a long list of elaborate ingredients to create a sauce full of flavour.
The traditional base for this sauce sees the inclusion of justtwo ingredients: black pepper and pecorino Romano cheese. The result is a deceptively simplistic sauce packed with flavour, much like a stripped-back ‘mac n cheese’, but suitably more rustic and Italian in spirit. Cheese lovers, this recipe is for you!
Our authentic cacio e peperecipe
Watch asChef Roberta guides youthrough step-by-step instructions on how to make cacio e pepe. The full recipe is below.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Calories per serving: 668kcal
Ingredients
- 200g of freshly grated pecorino cheese
- 2 tsp of black peppercorns
- 400g pasta of your choice (we recommend fresh pici or bucatini)
- Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano and ground black pepper to serve
Method
- Toast the peppercorns until fragrant in a dry frying pan over medium heat, about 2 minutes. Keep them moving to prevent them from burning. Once toasted, roughly crush.
- Then, cook your choice of pasta in a large pot of generously salted boiling water for around 4-6 minutes, or untilal dente.
- While the pasta cooks, add freshly grated pecorino cheese and crushed black peppercorns to a large serving bowl. Gradually add a cup of the boiling cooking water to the bowl, constantly mixing and adjusting as necessary to melt the cheese and obtain a silky, smooth sauce that’s able to completely coat the pasta.
- Once your cacio e pepe has become a creamy, silky sauce, add your piping hot pasta to the bowl and toss vigorously to coat.
- To serve, finish with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano and some more ground black pepper.
Chef’s tip: The critical component in this recipe is the addition of the starchy pastawater; it binds everything together to create a wonderfully creamy emulsion. To ensure maximum starchiness, we recommend adding the pasta water around 1 minute before you’ve finished cooking your pasta.
Which pasta topair with cacio e pepe
The creamy indulgence of this Roman sauce makes it the perfect accompaniment to strand pastas like pici, spaghetti, tonnarelli and bucatini. Pici or bucatini cacio e pepe are our personal favourites and you’ll often find them on our weekly menu due to their thicker and chewier texture which allows you to lap up as much of this glorious sauce as possible.
Cacio e pepe wine pairing recommendation
We’re firmly in white wine territory here, and we’d go for a juicy wine with plenty of acidity to balance out the tangy cheese sauce. Trebbiano d'Abruzzo is a fruity and light wine with bright acidity. It pairs very well with Italian aged cheeses, making it a great match for pecorino pasta dishes like cacio e pepe. The acidity will balance out the creaminess extremely well. For flavours, this wine has white peach, lemon and green apple notes and, on occasion, a slight hint of basil. Open young and serve chilled for a delightful pairing for your cacio e pepe.
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FAQs
The secret, in addition to the chemical combination of water and Pecorino proteins to obtain a cream without lumps, lies in the flavor: whole peppercorns crushed the same day and plunged into the pan to toast releasing all their pungent aroma; the pasta whisked slowly and in a controlled way to absorb all the taste of ...
What makes cacio e pepe so good? ›
The internet loves an only-three-ingredient recipe. This (which makes Cacio e Pepe deceptively simple) and the cheese + carbs combination are essential parts of the secret of its media success, along with the fact that it can be made anywhere in the world with any pepper and any cheese.
How do you thicken cacio e pepe? ›
- Add a little more pasta water than you think you need (the pasta will continue to soak it up and the sauce will thicken on your plate).
How to not break cacio e pepe sauce? ›
The trick is to toss the cheese with starch before heating it. As the starch heats up and gels, it stabilizes the cheese so it won't break. I tried the method for this Cacio e Pepe, which makes for a durable sauce that doesn't break even after raising the temperature until the sauce boils (usually a mortal sin).
Why is cacio e pepe so hard to make? ›
That said, as simple as the cacio e pepe ingredient list may be, this dish is famously finicky when it comes to technique. If the cheese is overheated or the starchy pasta water isn't emulsified properly, the sauce can turn into a sticky, clumpy mess, which I can vouch from experience is always such a tragedy.
What temperature should the water be for cacio e pepe? ›
In a bowl, add ½ cup (100 ml) of the hot pasta water to a cup or bowl. Let the water cool a minute or two, or until it has reached a temperature of about 140° F (60° C).
Why does my cacio e pepe break? ›
The culprit usually comes down to too much heat. When it gets too hot, the protein in cheese coagulates and separates.
What pairs best with cacio e pepe? ›
Look no further than Chianti Classico for a classic red pairing. While most people associate this wine with flavorful meats like Florentine steak, the sharpness of the cacio e pepe holds its own and makes Chianti an unexpected accompaniment.
What pasta shape is best for cacio e pepe? ›
Spaghetti is the traditional pasta for cacio e pepe, but even Roman establishments now use popular shapes such as rigatoni, bucatini, and thick, square-cut noodles called tonnarelli. Use a good quality brand that cooks evenly and retains its al dente bite.
Should cacio e pepe be salty? ›
But when we're learning How to Make Authentic Roman Cacio e Pepe, we need to take care not to get crazy with the salting of things. Pecorino Romano basically makes up the whole sauce, and y'all – that cheese is SALTY.
After pitching out pounds of spaghetti and clumpy cheese, I wanted this cacio e pepe recipe to be a no-fail version of this iconic dish. The solution is a pecorino paste that gets gradually loosened with pasta cooking water until the cheese is melted and smooth.
What if cacio e pepe sauce is too thick? ›
At this point, if the sauce is too thick, add a couple tablespoons of pasta water to thin out the sauce and continue mixing until you achieve the correct consistency. Plate your finished Cacio e Pepe into some warmed bowls and enjoy!
How do you avoid stringy cheese in cacio e pepe? ›
A few things I've done that has worked:
- Added more starch. A small bit of cornstarch or tapioca starch just to keep the proteins from clumping.
- I've also added some white wine and that seemed to help (it's an acid)
- Low heat and adding less cheese at a time.
This typically Roman pasta dish goes back to ancient times. In their sacks, local shepherds would carry cacio cheese made from sheep's milk, pepper, and dried spaghetti. Cacio e pepe is a symbol of Rome – like the Colosseum, it's an institution.
What are the ingredients in Trader Joe's cacio e pepe? ›
Ingredients. FILLING (RICOTTA CHEESE [WHEY, CREAM, SALT, CITRIC ACID {ACIDIFIER}], CREAM, PECORINO ROMANO CHEESE [SHEEP'S MILK, SALT, RENNET], LACTOSE, MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, RICE FLOUR, SALT, BLACK PEPPER, LEMON JUICE), PASTA (WHEAT FLOUR, EGGS, DURUM WHEAT SEMOLINA, WATER, BLACK PEPPER). CONTAINS MILK, EGG , WHEAT.
