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.
- 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.
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To all the people adding things, you obviously didn’t want true cacio e pepe. cacio e pepe is literally cheese and pepper – that’s it that’s all.
Excellent recipe that does justice to the dish. How many “Italian” dishes do we see with dairy cream added to replicate the natural creaminess in this dish and others like Carbonara? Regarding variations, in my opinion, this dish crashes and burns if Parmigiano Reggiano is substituted for Pecorino Romano – and to be honest, it’s never a good substitute in any recipe (again, opinion) where Romano is called for.
great recipe, I really appreciate the way the info is presented. great tips and info
Great recipe to start with! I rendered some pancetta and used the fat to cook some asparagus and garlic to add at the end (I blanched the asparagus in the pasta water for a few minutes first,) I used the same pan to finish the pasta and tossed everything together at the same time. Also added chili flakes. Great basic recipe but it really kicked the flavor up a notch with the additions.
excellent recipe!! thank you for the simple yet detailed instructions. it came out perfect!
Excellent recipe! I added blistered grap Tomatoes and basil with sautéed shrimp.
Following the directions, my sauce fails to thicken and is watery. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Robert! You want to make sure you’re tossing/stirring the pasta, butter and pasta water thoroughly together until the butter fully melts. This will help the sauce thicken and emulsify together before adding your cheese (which will further thicken your sauce). I hope this was helpful!
What cheese are you using? If you’re using that sawdust “parm” in the green can, that’s your problem. I cannot overstate the importance of ingredients. Of course, don’t use a butter substitute and when it comes to cheese, you must use a good quality cheese. I don’t know if they carry it nationwide, but Costco carries a Pecorino Romano already grated in a large bag (you can freeze it). I’ve found that this is a very high quality cheese and is about 95% as good as buying a Romano wedge and grating it at the table. No kidding.
Excellent!!! For those with cheese clumping issues, use fresh grated cheese from a block. Pre shredded cheese is always coated with anti-caking agents to keep it from sticking together. This holds true with cheese for making mac n cheese as well. Always grate your own cheese if it involves making a sauce with it ;)
I actually add bacon pieces to this for a little more protein since I have to use non-dairy cheeses and it’s really good!
Professional chef here: Bloom freshly cracked black pepper in your butter/oil before adding pasta water (warm) and pasta (warm) and remove from heat before adding cheese. The blooming of the black pepper will blow you away in terms of flavor (this is the old world method, after all) and removing from the heat and ensuring both water and pasta are warm should keep your sauce from clumping. Mangia!
Oh interesting. I know a lot of people toast the pepper on its own, but i love the idea of blooming it in butter or oil before adding the pasta water. Thanks for the tip!
i toasted my course black pepper in the pan first then added butter and the cheese. then tossed in the pasta . mmm!
If making 4 servings, do you also double the amount of reserved pasta water from 2/3 cup to 1 1/3 cup?
Hi! I would reserve 1 1/3 cups, but start by adding about 3/4-1 cup pasta water and adjust as needed.
Simple and delicious comfort food. It’s like elevated buttered noodles.
I diced up 3 chunky pieces of bacon, then added mushroom and a handful of steamed frozen peas. My husband loved it!
Very good and easy to make, but I would have added onions, mushrooms, and spinach. My dad thought it was the kittens mittens as is.
Delish but the sauce splits for me every time. I only looked up how to prevent it next time i make it, apparently you beat the water into the cheese etc. Still tastes amazing!
Best recipe ever. I keep trying and trying recipes for this. And it just all glumps together. I added a tiny bit more pepper and grated parm. I will never use another recipe. Ty ty!
I made this for dinner tonight. It was delicious! The sauce was creamy, albeit for a few clumps of melted cheese, but delicious just the same. My 97 yr old mom who lives with loved it too!
So delicious. Love this one
Thanks for the simple yet tasty recipe. Will definitely make this again and again
Wow! This is my favorite pasta, but I’ve never made it before. I never knew how simple it was to make! Delicious!
Easy and so so yummy. TY!
My favorite recipe to make! It’s soooo good and cheesy!
This was delicious!
I never knew cacio e Pepe was so easy to make. Loved this one!
Wow! Made this tonight and it’s delish. And so easy!