Parmigiano Reggiano

Cacio e Pepe

February  7, 2019
5
9 Ratings
Photo by Ed Anderson
  • Prep time 5 minutes
  • Cook time 15 minutes
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

For a recipe that has only five ingredients, this Roman pasta dish is crazy-delicious, the kind of late-night, empty-fridge recipe that dreams are made of. And while it has few ingredients, the success of the dish relies almost totally on technique, and it may take you a few attempts to perfect it. But once you’ve mastered it, this recipe—made entirely with things you probably always have on hand—is yours forever.

Rather than drain the pasta through a colander when it’s ready, I use tongs to transfer it directly from the water to the pan containing the butter and toasted black pepper, then I add the Parmigiano and toss. Some of the cooking water clings to the noodles and the pot is at my elbow if I need to add a bit more of that starchy water to help the butter sauce emulsify. The amount of pasta water to add depends on the brand of dried pasta you’re using; it gets easier to figure out with experience. You want to add enough to aid the melting of the hard cheese but not so much that the sauce becomes watery; the goal is a bowl of al dente noodles cloaked in a creamy sauce made from the combination of butter, cheese (I use a mixture of Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino Romano), and that starchy pasta cooking water.

I like the Rustichella d’Abruzzo brand of dried pasta. If you can’t find it, look for another Italian brand that is extruded through bronze dies (the label will likely boast of this), which gives the exterior of each noodle a rougher texture, something the sauce can cling to. —Jessica Battilana

Test Kitchen Notes

Excerpted from Repertoire. Copyright © 2018 by Jessica Battilana. Used with permission of Little, Brown and Company, New York. All rights reserved. —The Editors

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Ingredients
  • 12 ounces spaghetti
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 teaspoons coarsely cracked black pepper
  • 1 cup finely grated Parmigiano- Reggiano (use a Microplane or the smallest holes of a box grater)
  • 1/2 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano (use a Microplane or the smallest holes of a box grater)
Directions
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente.
  2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a heavy frying pan over medium heat. Add the pepper and cook, swirling the pan, until it begins to sizzle, about 1 minute. Set aside.
  3. When the pasta is al dente, use tongs to transfer it to the frying pan and place the pan over low heat (keep the pot of pasta water nearby: you may need it). Add the Parmigiano and 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water to the frying pan and, with tongs, immediately toss the pasta until the cheese melts; you want to keep everything moving so the cheese doesn’t sink to the bottom of the pan and start clumping. If a film of cheese begins to form on the bottom of your pan, reduce the heat and continue tossing. Add more pasta cooking water as necessary; the sauce should be creamy and emulsified and coat each strand of pasta.
  4. Remove from the heat, stir in the Pecorino, and toss to coat. Transfer to bowls and serve hot.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

6 Reviews

Ray H. February 16, 2024
Butter?! Che peccato! Non uso mai per un vero cacio e pepe.
Ray H. February 19, 2024
Also — Parmigiano? It’s called CACIO e Pepe because Cacio is the Roman word for Pecorino Romano — a sheep cheese, not cow. It’s fundamental to Cacio e Pepe to use pecorino and only two other ingredients, pepper and pasta (pasta water too, to emulsify).

This looks like a nice butter and parm recipe, which is essentially an “Alfredo” recipe, which does use butter parm and pasta (and nothing more, no cream).

But it’s absolutely not Cacio e Pepe. Less is more with Cacio e Pepe.
Gary M. September 7, 2024
Hai raggione! This is “Al burro” not Cacio peppe!
Melissa P. March 30, 2021
Found this recipe via Molly Wizenberg of the Spilled Milk podcast. Delicious!
Amy February 19, 2019
It almost felt like I was back in Rome tonight. Thank you food52
Mark February 8, 2019
Sounds like my Saturday lunch sorted....