COPPERCacio e pepe recipe
A Roman pasta with no butter or cream, where pecorino and starchy cooking water emulsify into the sauce.
Ingredients
- 200 g tonnarelli or spaghetti
- 120 g pecorino romano
- 2 tsp black peppercorns
How to make Cacio e pepe
- Bring a pot of water to the boil using about half the usual amount, so it gets starchy. Salt it lightly: the pecorino is salty.
- Grate the 120 g pecorino finely into a bowl, keeping a little back for serving.
- Crush the 2 tsp peppercorns coarsely and toast them in a wide dry pan over low heat until fragrant. Add a ladle of pasta water.
- Cook the 200 g pasta, draining it 2 minutes early and keeping the water. Finish cooking it in the pepper pan, adding hot water a little at a time.
- Mix the pecorino with a small ladle of pasta water and whisk into a thick paste.
- Take the pan off the heat and toss the pasta with the cheese paste, adding water until the sauce turns glossy. Serve with the reserved pecorino.
What is Cacio e pepe?
Cacio e pepe is a traditional dish from Italy, boiled, and takes about 20 minutes from start to finish. It is built around tonnarelli or spaghetti and pecorino romano. The recipe below uses 3 ingredients and is written out step by step.
How long does Cacio e pepe take?
At 20 minutes it is quicker than 99% of the 586 dishes in Copper's atlas. The method runs to 6 steps, the longest being 2 minutes.
Any tips for making Cacio e pepe?
Add the pecorino paste off the heat: too much heat makes the cheese clump instead of turning into a glossy sauce.
How Cacio e pepe compares
At 20 minutes, Cacio e pepe is among the 10 quickest of the 586 dishes Copper documents. Hard to find elsewhere: tonnarelli or spaghetti (1) and pecorino romano (1).
Copper documents Italy alongside 197 other countries. Every recipe is free to read, with the full ingredient list and every step.