Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: cacio e pepe

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 20

Servings: people

Calories: 543kcal

salt for seasoning pasta water
8 oz spaghetti or other long pasta
4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
1¼ cups (about 2 oz) finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese plus more for finishing
1 teaspoon coarse freshly ground black pepper plus more for finishing

Add about 4 inches of cold water (enough to cover the spaghetti) to a large pot and bring it to a boil. Season with a pinch of salt.
Toast the pepper in a medium to large skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool.
Mix together the butter, cheese and cooled pepper until it forms a smooth paste.
Drop the spaghetti into boiling water and cook according to the package directions, about 8 minutes.
While the pasta cooks, add one large ladle of pasta water to the same pan you toasted the pepper in, but off of the heat.
Stir in the cheese mixture until it's smooth and saucy. Drain the pasta when it's just barely al dente, but reserve at least a cup of pasta water first.
Immediately add the pasta to the pan over low heat while tossing it around to coat in the sauce. It's important to keep the heat low and move the pasta constantly at this step to prevent clumpy cheese.
Continue stirring and tossing until the sauce thickens to the right consistency. Add more pasta water as needed, and remove from the heat as soon as it's done.
Taste for seasoning, then transfer the pasta to bowls, top with freshly cracked pepper and grated pecorino, then serve immediately.

Boil the pasta in less water than you normally would to create an extra starchy pasta water, which will add more body to the sauce. Excess water will dilute the cooking water and won't make the sauce as creamy.
Make sure you reserve pasta water for your sauce. The starchy water that comes from boiled pasta helps the cheese melt into a smooth, velvety sauce.
Choose a high-quality Pecorino Romano cheese and grate it yourself.
It's imperative to keep the heat very low when tossing the pasta in the pan to prevent the cheese from melting too quickly, which causes it to clump up.
Be sure to drain your pasta as soon as it's al dente to prevent it from turning mushy in the pan, since it will continue cooking.
Serve spaghetti cacio e pepe in warm bowls to keep it from cooling down to quickly. I like to warm them in a low oven for about 10 minutes prior to serving.