Cacio e Pepe Recipe – Roman Pasta with Pecorino and Pepper

Cacio e Pepe – Pasta with Cheese and Pepper

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This dish comes from Lazio and is considered a landmark of Roman cuisine. Pasta with cheese and pepper, or cacio e pepe, is usually made with long pasta – some exotic shapes, though most often you’ll see spaghetti, linguine and the like. As the name says, the dish is very simple: cheese, black pepper and pasta. Given that simplicity, it was probably served in “folk” taverns, where the pasta was made saltier and spicier so that customers would order more wine.

More with parmesan and pasta

Ingredients

2 servings

  • Long pasta 200 g
  • Water for cooking the pasta 2 l
  • Salt for cooking the pasta 10 g (5 g per 1 l of water)
  • Pecorino cheese 100 g
  • Butter 2 tbsp
  • Coarsely ground black pepper 0.5-1 tsp (1–2 g)
  • Salt to taste

Step-by-step recipe

Pasta

  1. Along with spaghetti carbonara and amatriciana, pasta with cheese and pepper is probably one of the best-known and tastiest dishes of Roman cuisine. Cheese, butter and the flavor of freshly ground black pepper work together beautifully. Despite its simplicity, the recipe demands ingredients of the highest quality. Without pecorino, the dish will turn out different. You can make the sauce and cook the pasta at the same time.

  2. Get the pasta, butter, pecorino and black pepper ready. For the long pasta, use whatever you can easily find – spaghetti, linguine or other shapes.

    You'll need pasta, butter, pecorino and black pepper.

  3. Put a pot with 2 l of water over high heat, add salt (10 g) and bring it to a boil.

  4. When the water boils, add the pasta – this time I used linguine. The cooking time is on the package; in that time the pasta will be al dente.

  5. Set aside 1–2 ladles of the pasta water.

  6. Drain the pasta in a colander, then return it to the pot.

    Cook the pasta until al dente.

Sauce

  1. Add a piece of fresh, real butter to the pasta.

  2. Finely grate the pecorino and add it to the pasta.

    By the way, Pecorino Romano is quite salty and is made from sheep’s milk (pecora means sheep); it has been known for more than 2,000 years.

  3. Season with pepper. Use as much black pepper as you like. You can crush the peppercorns or grind them in a hand mill. Just don’t use store-bought ground black pepper.

    Add the butter, grated pecorino and black pepper.

  4. Add the reserved water in small portions and stir the pasta over very low heat. Gradually the cheese melts and combines with the butter and the pasta. Add as much water as you need for the sauce consistency you like.

    In the end, the pasta should be creamy, with no lumps of cheese.

  5. Taste and add salt if needed. Salt the pasta carefully – pecorino is quite salty and has a pronounced flavor.

    Pasta with cheese and pepper

Serving

  1. Divide the pasta among plates and serve while hot. If you like, sprinkle with extra cheese and, of course, more pepper.

    The dish is very simple, even minimalist, but very tasty and filling – perfect for a hearty breakfast.

Calories and macros

665 kcal

Serving ≈ 310 g

  • Protein29 g18% of kcal
  • Fat26 g36% of kcal
  • Carbs74 g46% of kcal

100 g214 kcalProtein 9.4 gFat 8.4 gCarbs 23.8 g

Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.

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