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Cacio e pepe

Three ingredients, one silky sauce. Simple to love, tricky to nail.

πŸ“ Rome, Lazio⏱ 15 minHardServes 2
Cacio e pepe

Origin story

Cacio e pepe means cheese and pepper. It comes from Rome and the pastoral Lazio countryside. Shepherds likely carried dried pasta, aged pecorino and black pepper, which keep well on long journeys.

The dish is simple, but the technique isn't. You emulsify pecorino romano with starchy pasta water. Done well, the sauce is creamy with no cream at all. Done badly, it clumps. Temperature and patience are everything.

Myths, busted

It needs butter or cream.
No. A proper sauce uses only cheese, pepper and pasta water.
Hot pan gives the best sauce.
Too much heat makes the cheese clump. Keep it warm, not scorching.

The recipe

Servings:2

Ingredients

  • 200 g spaghetti
  • 80 g Pecorino Romano, finely grated
  • 2 tsp black peppercorns, freshly cracked
  • Salt (go easy, the cheese is salty)
  1. Boil the spaghetti in less water than usual, so the water gets extra starchy. Salt it lightly.
  2. Toast the cracked pepper in a dry pan for a minute, then add a ladle of pasta water.
  3. In a bowl, mash the Pecorino with a few spoons of warm (not boiling) pasta water into a smooth paste.
  4. Move the pasta, a minute before al dente, into the pepper pan and toss for a minute with a splash more water.
  5. Take the pan off the heat, add the cheese paste and toss hard until glossy. Loosen with water if needed and serve at once.

Tip: if the cheese clumps, the water was too hot. Let the pan cool for 30 seconds before the cheese goes in.

Regional variations

Tonnarelli
Fresh square-cut egg pasta is the traditional Roman choice.
Pecorino and Parmigiano
A little Parmigiano makes the emulsion more stable and gentler.
Cacio e pepe with a starch slurry
Some chefs add a spoon of cornstarch slurry for a foolproof sauce.

Common mistakes

βœ— Clumpy cheese
Grate it very finely. Mix it with cool pasta water into a paste first.
βœ— Too much pasta water
Use less water and cook the pasta in a smaller pot for more starch.
βœ— Pre-ground pepper
Crack whole peppercorns and toast them in a dry pan.
βœ— Cheese added over high heat
Take the pan off the heat before the cheese goes in.

What to drink with it

🍷 Wine
Frascati Superiore, Lazio
Fresh and mineral, it handles the salty pecorino and sharp pepper.
πŸ₯€ Alcohol-free
Still water with a slice of lemon
Clean and neutral, it lets the pepper and cheese shine.

Shopping list Β· Cacio e pepe for 2

Pasta & pantry

  • 200 g spaghetti
  • Sea salt
  • Black peppercorns, 2 tsp

Deli & cheese

  • 100 g pecorino romano, finely grated

Vegetarian

Cacio e pepe has no meat, so it's vegetarian. Pecorino often uses animal rennet, so check for a vegetarian-labelled one.

Gluten-free

Gluten-free pasta releases less starch, so save extra pasta water to build the sauce.

Wheat spaghetti β†’ gluten-free spaghetti
Choose a corn-and-rice blend and cook it a minute short of the pack time.

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Know your ingredients

Pecorino RomanoSpaghettiBlack peppercorns