Classic Roman Cacio e Pepe (Printable)

Bold Roman pasta combining Pecorino Romano cheese and freshly cracked black pepper in creamy perfection.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 14 oz spaghetti or tonnarelli

→ Cheese

02 - 4.2 oz Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated

→ Seasonings

03 - 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns, freshly cracked
04 - 1 teaspoon kosher salt for pasta water

→ Optional

05 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter for extra creaminess

# Step-by-Step:

01 - Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt, then cook the spaghetti until just al dente, approximately 1 minute less than package instructions. Reserve 1.5 cups of pasta cooking water before draining.
02 - While the pasta cooks, toast the freshly cracked black pepper in a large dry skillet over medium heat for approximately 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add 1 cup of reserved hot pasta water to the skillet with the pepper. Reduce heat to low.
04 - Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss to coat, allowing the pasta to absorb the peppery water.
05 - Remove the skillet from heat. Gradually sprinkle in the Pecorino Romano, tossing and stirring vigorously to create a creamy sauce. Add more reserved pasta water, a splash at a time, if the sauce becomes too thick.
06 - If desired, add butter and toss until melted and emulsified.
07 - Serve immediately, topped with extra Pecorino Romano and additional cracked black pepper.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • You probably already have everything you need sitting in your kitchen right now.
  • The creamy sauce happens without any cream, just smart technique and starchy pasta water.
  • It tastes like you spent hours cooking when you barely spent twenty minutes.
  • Every bite delivers that salty, peppery punch that makes you close your eyes and sigh.
02 -
  • If you add the cheese while the pan is still on the heat, it will seize up into rubbery clumps instead of melting into a sauce.
  • Pasta water is not just water, it's liquid gold full of starch that makes cheese and fat become creamy instead of greasy.
  • Grate the cheese as fine as you can because big shreds don't melt fast enough and you'll end up with stringy bits.
03 -
  • Reserve more pasta water than you think you need because you can always add it but you can't take it back once the pasta is drained.
  • Toss the pasta in the skillet off the heat for at least thirty seconds before adding cheese so the temperature drops just enough to prevent clumping.
  • Use tongs instead of a spoon so you can lift and toss the pasta in the air, which helps the sauce cling to every strand instead of pooling at the bottom.
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