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4.6 from 69 votes

Pasta cacio e pepe

This pasta is one of the most famous and traditional Roman recipes. Made with just three ingredients but absolutely delicious! Try it!

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
20 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 497 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  • 320 grams Spaghetti
  • 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns 1 to 2 tablespoons
  • 200 grams Pecorino Romano grated a little more for serving

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Then add the pasta and cook it until it’s a little undercooked or very al dente. When it’s done, reserve 4 cups of the starchy pasta cooking water and then drain the pasta.
  2. As the pasta is cooking, grind the whole peppercorns with a mortar and pestle. You can also use freshly ground black pepper if you prefer.
  3. Put the freshly grated pecorino cheese into a medium bowl. Then stir in 1 tablespoon of lukewarm water. This helps to prevent a grainy cheese sauce.
  4. Toast the ground black pepper in a large pan over medium-high heat for just 30 seconds. Then add 1 ladle of pasta water and let the mixture boil for 2 minutes.
  5. Put the slightly undercooked pasta in the pan with the pepper water. Then add just enough of the reserved pasta water to continue cooking the spaghetti a little more. If needed, keep adding more cooking water until the noodles are creamy and perfectly al dente.
  6. Turn the heat off the moment the pasta is done and creamy. Now, stir in the pecorino paste and toss it together well with the spaghetti. At this point, if the pasta seems too dry just add more of the reserved cooking water.
  7. Serve the cacio e pepe with a bit more freshly ground black pepper and grated pecorino cheese.

Notes

  • The tradition of cacio e pepe pasta involves the use of spaghetti, but it is not strange to see the use of tonnarelli, rigatoni, or egg pasta. However, the egg pasta and tonnarelli are too porous and thus absorb the seasoning too much, so if you want to make excellent cacio e pepe pasta, use spaghetti.

Nutrition Information

Serving 100g Calories 497kcal (25%) Carbohydrates 63g (21%) Protein 27g (54%) Fat 15g (23%) Saturated Fat 9g (45%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 4g Cholesterol 52mg (17%) Sodium 605mg (25%) Potassium 255mg (7%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 3g (6%) Vitamin A 221IU (4%) Calcium 560mg (56%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 497

% Daily Value*

Serving 100g
Calories 497kcal 25%
Carbohydrates 63g 21%
Protein 27g 54%
Fat 15g 23%
Saturated Fat 9g 45%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 4g 20%
Cholesterol 52mg 17%
Sodium 605mg 25%
Potassium 255mg 5%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 3g 6%
Vitamin A 221IU 4%
Calcium 560mg 56%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.