I’ve been on such a simple pasta kick lately and this Cacio e Pepe Recipe is high on that list. I love everything about this pasta – the simplicity, minimal ingredient list, how delicious it is, and how fast it comes together! I promise you’ll love this no brainer, delicious, super quick recipe for your next weeknight dinner!
What is Cacio e Pepe?
Cacio e Pepe (pronounced ca-cho ee pepe) is a Roman pasta dish that translates to “cheese and pepper”. The simple dish consists of spaghetti, black pepper and Pecorino Romano (and in our case a little butter too!)
How to Make Cacio e Pepe
Ingredients
Ingredients to Note:
- Pecorino Romano: We love using a microplane to grate the cheese. It’s fine grate helps the cheese to melt into the dish really evenly. See our Cacio E Pepe Variations below for alternatives to this cheese.
- Pasta: Bucatini is kind of like spaghetti, except it’s slightly thicker and is in the form of a tube.
Process
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and generously season with salt. Add pasta and cook until al dente.
- Reserve some pasta water and cool slightly.
- Drain pasta in a colander.
- Place skillet (or same pot used to cook pasta) over medium heat and add pasta back into pot.
- Add reserved pasta water and butter.
- Toss together.
- Add grated cheese and black pepper and continue to toss together until sauce comes together and is smooth and creamy.
- Top with more grated cheese and serve.
Cacio e Pepe Variations
- Pecorino Romano is a hard, Italian sheep’s milk cheese. It has sharp, rich nutty flavor, making it the perfect cheese for this simple pasta dish. If you don’t have it or can’t find it Parmigiano-Reggiano is a totally acceptable alternative.
- Make this recipe gluten free by swapping out your favorite gluten free pasta.
- Add a protein to the pasta like sautéed shrimp or grilled chicken.
- Keep it vegetarian friendly, but bulk it up with some vegetables like steamed peas or steamed/sautéed broccoli.
- Bring some heat to the dish with a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes.
- Add some texture to the dish by topping it off with some butter toasted breadcrumbs.
Tips and Tricks for Cacio e Pepe Success
This is such a simple recipe, we’re confident anyone can successfully make this dish! The one issue we see people running into when making this dish is the cheese clumping up when tossing it together with the pasta. The addition of warm pasta water is the answer! The starchy water helps to create a creamy, saucy consistency that perfectly coats the pasta.
What to Serve with Our Cacio e Pepe Recipe
This cacio e pepe recipe is a simple but rich dish so we like to pair it with leafy greens tossed in a light dressing. We also like to serve this with some simple Roasted Root Vegetables, our Grilled Avocado Salad and our Balsamic Grilled Baby Carrots.
Reheating Leftovers
We rarely have any leftovers with this dish because we tend to inhale the entire thing in one sitting, but if you do happen to have leftovers, we have a couple of easy ways to reheat them to ensure it’s just as good as when you made it fresh! Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To Reheat on Stovetop
Place your leftover pasta in the skillet with a splash of water to help loosen things up. Cook on medium low – and just long enough to heat through. You don’t want to dry out the pasta. Top with more cheese if you have it and serve.
To Reheat in a Microwave
Place your leftover pasta in a microwave safe bowl. Splash a little water into the bowl and microwave for 45 seconds. Take it out and give it a little stir. Don’t worry if it’s still a little watery, this will help steam the pasta back to life. Return to microwave and head for another minute or until fully cooked through. Make sure you don’t overheat this dish, or you will dry the pasta out!
This cacio e pepe recipe is the perfect weeknight dinner to throw together, especially if you’re in a pinch for time and ingredients. I love using this brand of pasta, but you can use any pasta of your choice.
More Delicious Pasta Recipes You Will Love
Cacio e Pepe Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 8 oz dried bucatini or spaghetti
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- ½ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano plus more for garnish
- ½ tsp cracked black pepper toasted
INSTRUCTIONS
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Add a small handful of salt and pasta to boiling water.
- Cook pasta, stirring occasionally until al dente, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Drain pasta, reserving 2/3 cup pasta water.
- Pour pasta back into pot or into a large skillet and place over low heat.
- Add pasta water and butter and toss together until butter just melts.
- Add grated cheese and black pepper and continue to toss together until cheese melts and a creamy sauce forms.
- Top with more grated cheese and serve.
Did you make this recipe? We want to see!
tag @SpoonForkBacon and #SpoonForkBacon on Instagram
Awesome! I doubled the pepper. The pasta water is critical or you’ll end up with mortar in your pot.
I’ve tried A LOT of cacio e pepe recipe and this one never fails me!
Delicious! Made exactly except used good Parmesan instead of pecorino. Sauce was creamy and amazing.
If you’re making 4 servings, do you need 1 amd 1/3 cup of pasta water or does the 2/3 cup suffice?
You shouldn’t need 1 1/3 cups, but you will need about a cup of pasta water.
This recipe is outstanding!!! If you follow the directions, it comes out perfectly. I saved extra pasta water, but measured out 2/3 cup separately as instructed and that’s all I used. Instead of doubling the recipe, we’re just going to make it again tomorrow – it’s that good!🤌🏼
Thank you, this was delish! I added some Cacio e pepe Truffle seasoning from the Spice House and it was fabulous!
One technical comment…there’s an option to change the number of servings of the recipe. It changes all the measurements of ingredients except in the instructions the amount of pasta water remains at 2/3 c. All measurements need to be adjusted if you change servings.
I put the peppercorns in a skillet which helps make them softer to grind
Thank you!! I was wondering about the toasted part of the pepper! I’ve never done this, but im certainly going to give it a whirl. I’m a fan of using black and white peppercorns.. I’m sure it’ll taste fine. right? in any case, thank you for preemptively answering my question!
Wonderful! But save more of the pasta water. I found I needed quite a bit more of the pasta water and a little more butter to make it the way we like it. I was just in Rome last year and could not get enough of this lovely easy dish. I’m so happy to be able to share it with my family at home. Thank you!
I finally was able to master Cacio E Pepe! very easy to follow!
Cacio e Pepe is a deceptively simple dish that really needs proper technique to be successful! Reserve extra water and make sure you freshly grate a block of pecorino. Add cheese SLOWLY and mix continuously so it melts into a light sauce to prevent clumps. Have extra cheese on hand for more flavor and serving. I added a little finishing salt on top, too, just to bring it all together. It was (hands down) the best cacio e Pepe I’ve ever had! Be patient and generous with your ratios 😉
Maybe it should be noted in the main body of the recipe to potentially reserve more than 2/3c water incase cheese clumps. I didn’t have enough and substituted hot water but clearly that wasn’t the same bc I ended up with butter water and cheese clumps.
The amount of water is fine, the temperature of your water was probably too hot and didn’t cool down enough…that is probs my what caused the clumping, not the amount l.
For someone to rate the recipe as bad because they didn’t follow the directions is beyond my understanding.
So simple but so good! I love black pepper so I doubled it and it came out great. Will definitely be making again.