Description
A classic Italian pasta dish, Cacio e Pepe, or cheese and pepper pasta, is homey, cheesy, and utterly comforting. Recipe by NYT Cooking.
Ingredients
Units
- 60g finely grated pecorino Romano, plus more for dusting the completed dish
- 30g finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1 Tbsp whole black peppercorns
- 220g fresh pasta OR 180g dried
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Place the pepper into a saucepan on high heat and toast until fragrant, then pour into a pepper mill or pestle and mortar and grind.
- Add water to the same pot and bring to a boil. Use less water than you would usually use for pasta as this will help emulsify the sauce. Season the water lightly with salt. The pecorino will add more saltiness to the dish.
- In a small bowl, combine the cheeses and black pepper and stir it together with just enough cold water to bring it together into a thick paste.
- Once the water is boiling, add the pasta. Cook until very al dente (it will finish cooking in the sauce), then drain, reserving about 1 cup of the starchy water.
- Add the cheese and pepper mix into the warm pasta pot. Add the drained pasta then gently, but vigorously stir in the reserved pasta water, and a little olive oil, until the sauce emulsifies and sticks to the pasta. Don’t add too much water.
- Ladle the pasta into bowls and serve with more cheese and freshly ground black pepper.
- Category: Mains
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 600.89kcal
- Sugar: 3.1g
- Sodium: 1189.42mg
- Fat: 14.9g
- Saturated Fat: 8.97g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.29g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 85.33g
- Fiber: 4.58g
- Protein: 26.46g
- Cholesterol: 40.8mg