cacio e pepe;

cacio e pepe;

A classic pasta with pepper and cheese. A simple pasta dish, perfect for weeknight meals or when you're craving delicious italian but want none of the work.

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This simple, flavorful dish is a perfect weeknight dinner. Cacio e pepe literally means “cheese and pepper” in Italian. You know I’m in! It’s amazing that such simple ingredients make for such a powerful and delicious dish. The cheese here is pecorino romano, and the pepper has to be super flavorful–best if ground fresh. These simple ingredients combine into a simple dish that’s so satisfying and packed full of flavor.

Fresh ingredients are the key to this dish. Because there’s so few ingredients, each one of them shines. And that also means there’s nowhere for mediocrity to hide. Let’s start with the cheese, because as you all know, cheese is second only to chocolate in my heart. <3 Pecorino romano is a hard, salty Italian cheese made from sheep’s milk. Think parmesan, but sharper and drier. Pecorino romano is the traditional ingredient for cacio e pepe, but parmesan can be a good substitute. Or try a blend. I find a blend of parmesan and pecorino romano is a great option.

When picking your cheese, you’ll want a finely grated cheese–it’s best if it’s powdery. (Don’t mistake me–you want fresh cheese though, not shelf-stable Kraft parmesan cheese if you can at all help it.) Since we’re making a creamy cheesy sauce for our pasta, the finely grated cheese just allows for easier melting and more even coating of the pasta.

Next, onto the pasta! Now, fresh pasta is something special on it’s own, but I’m not sharing a homemade pasta recipe here. Luckily we had the next best thing available–fresh homemade pasta from the farmer’s market! Don’t worry though, store-bought dried pasta will work just as fine as well! I love a good fettuccini for this, though you can use whatever you prefer. Traditionally it is made with a long stringy pasta though, so think angelhair, spaghetti, or fettuccini, to name a few. Of course, there’s nothing stopping you from throwing in some bowties or shells! Although you might miss out on that satisfying twirl.

And last but not least–the pepper! You want a really fresh pepper here, fresh-grated preferable. It does take a bit of elbow grease to get 1 tsp of pepper from a pepper mill, but again, cacio e pepe has so few ingredients, each one needs to shine! I always start out with a little less and adjust from there. It’s easy to add more, but not so easy to take it away. But I love pepper, I think it’s such a flavorful spice that rarely gets highlighted the way it deserves.

secrets to success;

• Fresh ingredients make a big difference. Grating your own pepper takes a bit of elbow grease, but you can’t get fresher than that.
• Use a long stringy pasta to soak up all those robust flavors. Fresh pasta is amazing if you have the option, try making it yourself or check a local farmers market! Go for that al dente finish when boiling your pasta.
• When it comes to cheese, pecorino romano is the traditional choice. I’ll also change it up with a blend of pecorino romano and parmesan depending on what I have on hand. Go for a finely grated cheese so that it melts evenly in the sauce.

Looking for other simple recipes?

• Need to pair this with a simple dessert? Try chocolate icebox cake for a quick, make-ahead, no-bake dessert.
• A raspberry california salad would make a great healthful side dish to your cacio e pepe.
• For a simple and easy side that pairs with any dish, try this harissa bulgur rice pilaf.

cacio e pepe;

A classic pasta with pepper and cheese. A simple pasta dish, perfect for weeknight meals or when you're craving delicious italian but want none of the work.

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Author: bestwithchocolate.com

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Ingredients

• 1 lb dried pasta (reserve pasta water)
• 2 cups finely grated pecorino romano (can substitute parmesan for a milder flavor)
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

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Instructions

• Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine 1½ cups of pecorino romano and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, and ⅓ cup pasta cooking water. Mix together to form a paste.
• Once pasta is al dente, reserve a bit of the pasta water before pouring into a large strainer to drain. Add the strained pasta to the bowl with the parmesan mixture and toss vigorously.
• Adjust based on taste. Add additional Tbsps of hot water to loosen the sauce as needed and melt the cheese.
• Serve topped with a sprinkle of pecorino romano and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

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