Foolproof Cacio e Pepe
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
0 out of 5 stars
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Ingredients
2-3 servings
- 8 ounces dried spaghetti or tonnarelli
- 4 ounces aged pecorino romano, finely grated
- A lot of freshly ground black pepper
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Preparation
Step 1
Bring a pot of well-salted water to boil. Cook pasta to one minute shy of package instructions and taste for desired doneness. Cook a minute longer if needed.
Step 2
While pasta is cooking, combine all the pecorino (except a spoonful for garnish) with freshly ground black pepper in a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon cold water and use an immersion blender to work it into a paste, adding additional cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed. Aim for a paste about the thickness of cream cheese or frosting, using about 4 to 5 tablespoons total.
Step 3
Before pasta is done, scoop out a cup of hot cooking water and set it aside. Drain the pasta quickly (no need to shake every drop of water off) and immediately drop it into a large bowl.
Step 4
Add 3/4 of the cheese-pepper paste in dollops and toss to combine. Initially, it will be too thick to form a sauce. Once it has begun to coat the noodles, pour in a small ladleful of pasta water and toss to loosen the paste into a lightly creamy consistency that evenly coats the spaghetti strands.
Step 5
Taste and add more of the cheese-pepper paste to taste, or use it all. Add more pasta water as needed to loosen.
Step 6
Finish with reserved pecorino and a few grinds of black pepper. Eat immediately.
Step 7
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Chef's notes
The sauce is made by forming the cheese and pepper into a thick, paste-like sauce with cold water, avoiding any gloppy cheese risk from pasta cooking water.
Traditional pasta for cacio e pepe is tonnarelli, but standard spaghetti can be used.
Pecorino romano is the traditional cheese, but Parmesan can be used with additional salt.
The amount of pepper can be adjusted to taste; the pepper should provide a prominent, sparkly kick.
