Cacio e Pepe
This simple Italian classic uses just a handful of ingredients and only one pot, leaving you with less cleaning and more time with family. Having dinner ready in under 30 minutes will be a breeze but taste like your favorite North End restaurant
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 15 minutes
LEVEL: Easy
YIELD: 4
Ingredients
- 1 pound tonnarelli, bucatini, or spaghetti
- 1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)
- 2 cups of parmesan cheese
- 1 ½ cups of pecorino cheese
- 2 teaspoons fresh cracked pepper
- 1 tablespoon salt
Method of Preparation
- In a large pot, bring 4-6 quarts of water and the 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil on your Wolf Range or Cooktop.
- Once boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente. The time will vary depending on the type of pasta you used but should be about 8-11 minutes.
- Once the pasta is al dente, reserve 3 cups of the pasta water and then strain the pasta into a colander.
- In the same pan, add the butter and place over medium heat. Once the butter melts, add the cracked pepper and let toast for one minute.
- Add 2 cups of the reserved pasta water. Once simmering, add the parmesan cheese and continue stirring for 2 minutes. Add the pasta and continue stirring for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add the pecorino cheese. Continue stirring until the sauce is smooth and sticking nicely to the pasta. If sauce doesn’t look smooth, add the ¼ cup of the remaining pasta water at a time until sauce is smooth.
- Garnish with fresh cracked pepper and serve immediately.
*Chef Tips*
Al dente is an Italian phrase that means “to the tooth”, which means the pasta isn’t completely tender and still has a “bite” to it.
Tonnarelli is the traditional pasta used for cacio e pepe, but you will only be able to find it at Italian markets. Bucatini and spaghetti are great substitutes that are more common.
