Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe (Print Version)

A Roman classic featuring spaghetti tossed with Pecorino Romano and freshly cracked black pepper for a creamy, salty peppery sauce.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 14 oz spaghetti

→ Cheese & Spices

02 - 1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated
03 - 2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper, plus extra for serving

→ Others

04 - Salt for pasta water

# How to Make It:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook until just al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water before draining.
02 - In a large skillet over low heat, toast the black pepper for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.
03 - Add approximately 1/2 cup of reserved hot pasta water to the skillet with pepper and let it simmer.
04 - Add drained spaghetti to the skillet and toss vigorously to coat in the peppery water.
05 - Gradually sprinkle in Pecorino Romano while tossing and stirring vigorously until cheese melts and a creamy sauce forms. Add additional reserved pasta water as needed to achieve silky texture.
06 - Serve immediately, topped with additional Pecorino Romano and freshly cracked black pepper.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It uses only a handful of ingredients but tastes like you've been cooking all day.
  • Once you nail the technique, it becomes your go to impressive weeknight dinner.
  • The creamy sauce forms without any cream, just pasta water and good cheese.
  • It's ready in under half an hour, start to finish.
02 -
  • The cheese must be at room temperature and finely grated, or it will seize into rubbery bits instead of melting smoothly.
  • Turn off the heat before adding the cheese, high temperatures will break the sauce and leave you with a greasy mess.
  • Reserve more pasta water than you think you need, you can always add it but you can't take it back.
03 -
  • Use a large skillet with plenty of surface area so you can toss the pasta aggressively without it flying everywhere.
  • If the sauce breaks and looks oily, add a splash of cold water and whisk hard, it can sometimes pull back together.
  • Taste the pasta water before you drain, if it's not salty enough, your final dish will taste flat no matter how much cheese you add.
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