Make this creamy Cacio e Pepe pasta and your friends will invite themselves to dinner on a regular basis.
Consisting of four basic ingredients, this Cacio e Pepe pasta dish takes about 20 minutes to pull together. The Italian version of macaroni and cheese, with a peppery bite, is addictive! My son first turned me on to this delicious entrée. Cacio e Pepe means cheese and pepper.
The recipe will make four large servings.
Tips
- Most recipes use butter instead of the olive oil I used in this recipe. You can replace the oil with an equal amount of butter.
- Loosen the screw on your pepper mill to ensure large cracked grains of pepper for this dish.
- Substitute Pecorino or Grana Padano cheese for the Parmesan or use a blend of the cheeses.
- Be sure to reserve some pasta water as instructed. The water is the key to pulling the dish together.
- Review the cooking directions before starting. I suggest that you do two things at once and you might not realize that if you haven’t already read the steps.
Ingredients
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Kosher salt
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1 pound pasta (I recommend spaghetti)
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4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
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1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated black pepper
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1 1/2 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to boil. When the water is boiling, add salt, then add the pasta. Stir the pasta occasionally, cooking it until just before it is al dente. Don’t cook it completely, because it will cook more in the final stage of preparation. Drain the pasta, reserving a cup of the pasta cooking water.
While the pasta is cooking, add the olive oil to a large heavy skillet and set the heat to medium. Add the pepper and cook for about a minute, lightly swirling it in the pan.
Add 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Add the pasta, stir it with the sauce and cook it a little more (about a minute). Turn off the heat, add the cheese and toss the pasta with tongs until the cheese is melted. If it seems dry, add more of the pasta water and toss it until blended.
Transfer the pasta into bowls and serve.
Related Posts
Here are some suggestions to accompany your Cacio e Pepe pasta dinner:
- Start with a Negroni Cocktail or a Campari, Orange Juice and Seltzer Cocktail.
- After the pasta, have a Frisée Carrot Salad with Lemon Za’atar Vinaigrette.
- For dessert, serve this Rhubarb Upside Down Cake.
If you love pasta, here are some more pasta recipes: