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4.8 from 33 votes

Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe

A beautiful, Roman classic, Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe is the fastest, easiest, and certainly the most delicious recipe that you can make in your Instant Pot. You’ll love this cheesy pasta dish and all of the flavor it brings to dinnertime!

Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Additional Time
5 mins
Total Time
18 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 437 kcal
Course: Main Course , Dinner
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  • 8 oz spaghetti noodles uncooked
  • 2 ½ cups chicken broth
  • ½ lb about 2.5 cups Pecorino Romano, grated
  • fresh ground black pepper (Use code FF20 for 20% off) to taste

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Use a cheese grater to grate your Pecorino Romano cheese on the very smallest setting. The cheese should look like powder.
  2. Add your chicken broth into the Instant Pot. Use your hands to break the spaghetti in half, then place the dry spaghetti noodles in the pot. Make sure the broth covers the noodles completely.
  3. Place a lid on the Instant Pot and set it to HIGH for 8 minutes. Once the cooking cycle has completed, perform a Quick Release. Open the lid of the Instant Pot and make sure the pot is turned off completely.
  4. Wait about 1-2 minutes to allow the pot/noodles to cool down slightly. Add the powdered cheese right into the pot about ⅓ cup at a time. Use tongs to mix the cheese into the pasta water and allow it to melt completely. Then add the next round of cheese. Repeat until all cheese is gone and the cheese melts and forms a sauce to coat the noodles.
  5. When your sauce has reached the desired consistency, use a pepper grinder to add fresh ground black pepper into the pot. In this case, the more the better! Plate and serve… enjoy!

Notes

  • Recipe copyright The Foreign Fork. For educational or personal use only. 
  • Recipe was made using an 8 qt pot.
  • Make sure to turn the Instant Pot off (don’t even have it on KEEP WARM) when adding the Pecorino Romano into the Instant Pot. If the pot is continuing to warm up, the cheese will clump together when you add it into the pasta water, causing a lumpy mess.
  • Conversely, make sure that you add the cheese into the Instant Pot immediately once the pressure is released. Waiting too long will allow the pasta water to cool down, meaning that the cheese won’t melt as easily into a creamy sauce, and it may stay grainy. 
  • I used “thick spaghetti” for this recipe, but you can also use “thin spaghetti” if you’d like. If you use “thin spaghetti” make sure to take about 1 minute off of the Instant Pot cook time. Your pasta should be dry when you put it in the Instant Pot.
  • Using fresh ground black pepper is especially vital to this recipe, as it’s where the pasta gets most of its flavor. Crack the peppercorns on the largest setting so that they are fairly large pieces of cracked pepper. 
  • I use a block of Pecorino Romano cheese and grate it on the finest setting, making the cheese look like powder. Use a minimum of 2.5 cups of cheese and a maximum of 3 cups
  • Make sure to turn the Instant Pot off (don’t even have it on KEEP WARM) when adding the Pecorino Romano into the Instant Pot. If the pot is continuing to warm up, the cheese will clump together when you add it into the pasta water, causing a lumpy mess.
  • Conversely, make sure that you add the cheese into the Instant Pot immediately once the pressure is released. Waiting too long will allow the pasta water to cool down, meaning that the cheese won’t melt as easily into a creamy sauce, and it may stay grainy. 

Nutrition Information

Serving 1serving Calories 437kcal (22%) Carbohydrates 45g (15%) Protein 26g (52%) Fat 16g (25%) Saturated Fat 10g (50%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 5g Cholesterol 59mg (20%) Sodium 1221mg (51%) Potassium 293mg (8%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 2g (4%) Vitamin A 238IU (5%) Vitamin C 10mg (11%) Calcium 624mg (62%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 437

% Daily Value*

Serving 1serving
Calories 437kcal 22%
Carbohydrates 45g 15%
Protein 26g 52%
Fat 16g 25%
Saturated Fat 10g 50%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 5g 25%
Cholesterol 59mg 20%
Sodium 1221mg 51%
Potassium 293mg 6%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 2g 4%
Vitamin A 238IU 5%
Vitamin C 10mg 11%
Calcium 624mg 62%
Iron 1mg 6%

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