Cacio e Pepe

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Quick to prepare, using mostly store cupboard ingredients, this delectable pasta dish, which literally means ‘cheese and pepper’, is as easy to make for one person, as it is for a family. Using only pasta, cheese, freshly ground black pepper, salt, olive oil and butter, Cacio e Pepe is economical, accessible and, very importantly, creamy, dreamy and full of flavour.

We made ours with spaghetti but, traditionally tonnarelli, also known as Spaghetti alla chitarra, would be used. This is a kind of fatter, square shaped spaghetti. The classic cheese to use is Pecorino Romano, although we have used parmesan on occasion – apologies to the purists! It is a dish which lends itself to some adaption – such as the inclusion of some crispy bacon, garlic or some small florets of broccoli – and different shapes of pasta also work well.

I made this portion for Emma; the rest of us were all eating ‘meaty’ left-overs and she wanted a quick and tasty vegetarian meal, which she can prepare herself when back at university.

We made it by slightly adapting the way recommended by @hopelessdadinthekitchen. Mario said to to cook the pasta ‘risottata’; this means to add the water in increments like you would broth in a risotto. By not discarding the water you are creating a wonderful sheen and creamy sauce. We made it this way but I confess we added all the water at once. To compensate, we did stir the pasta from time to time as it cooked, as you would for a risotto, and we used only the water needed to cook the pasta and no more. It may not have been traditional, but it was very easy and jolly good!

How we make Cacio e Pepe for 1 person

You can very easily scale up the recipe for the number of people you wish to serve. This is a small to medium portion, perfect for Emma, but I have given a guideline, in the Recipe Notes below, to help you work out the portion size which best works for you.

Collect all your ingredients together:

• pasta, we used spaghetti
• cheese, we used Pecorino Romano
• freshly ground black pepper
• fine salt, ideally sea salt
• olive oil
• unsalted butter

To finish and serve:

• extra cheese
• extra pepper
• green or mixed salad, on the side

How we made it:

1. Heat half the butter with the olive oil over a moderate heat, in a pan wide enough to take the spaghetti. Add the freshly ground black pepper and cook until fragrant. This will only take around 1 minute.
2. Add the pasta, boiling water and salt and bring to a simmer. Cook, without a lid, until the water has almost disappeared (just a couple of tablespoons left) and the pasta is cooked to al dente, around 10 minutes. Stir the pasta, from time to time, as it cooks. This helps to create a thicker sauce which will cling to the sides of the pasta. Please note:
   • If the pasta is cooked, and there is too much liquid left, boil briskly to reduce quickly.
   • If the water has disappeared and the pasta is not yet cooked, add a little more boiling water and cook until the pasta is ready.
3. When the pasta is cooked to your liking, add the remaining butter and the cheese, stirring well, until it has all melted. It will create a thick, cheesy sauce and coat the pasta. All done!
4. Serve immediately, garnished with a little extra cheese and more freshly ground black pepper. Delicious with a salad on the side.

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Made this recipe?

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