This classic Roman dish is perfection in its simplicity. Toasted pepper and flavorful cheese make this pasta one of our favorites. Although it has few ingredients, there are a couple of important techniques to make that super creamy luscious cheese sauce! No need to add heavy cream or milk to this recipe! This Creamy Cacio e Pepe Pasta is so easy and comes together in less than 20 minutes for a perfect dinner any night of the week!
Looking for more classic pasta dishes like this one? Check out our Spaghetti Carbonara with Asparagus or our Spaghetti alla Nerano (Cheesy Fried Zucchini Pasta).
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What is Cacio e Pepe?
Cacio e Pepe is a classic pasta dish originating in Rome, Italy. Simply translated from Italian to "cheese and pepper," with these being the main ingredients. Traditionally, an authentic cacio e pepe recipe is a simple dish that only has 3 ingredients: spaghetti, Pecorino Romano cheese, and cracked black pepper. But when made correctly, this dish is out of this world with a creamy cheese and pepper sauce.
Variations of this classic dish can be found throughout the different regions of Italy using local pecorino (sheep's milk cheese) and regional pasta shapes. Whenever we see this tasty dish on a menu in Italian restaurants, we order it! And it never disappoints!
Ingredients
Cacio e Pepe is super easy to make with just a few ingredients. Here is what you need:
- Pecorino cheese: Pecorino cheese is an Italian sheep's milk hard cheese, similar to parmesan. Pecorino Romano (or pecorino cheese from Rome) is traditional, but any hard, somewhat young, pecorino cheese works well. We recommend using a pecorino cheese that's been aged for less than 1 year for best results.
- Parmesan cheese / Parmigiano Reggiano: We love the combination of pecorino cheese and parmesan cheese in cacio e pepe for a lovely rich flavor. Similar to pecornio, use a real Italian parmesan cheese (Parmigiano-reggiano) that is younger (aged less than 2 years) for best results. Additionally, make sure you do not buy pre-grated cheeses! Buy the wedges of cheese and grate them right before you make the dish.
- Extra Virgin Olive oil: A touch of extra virgin olive oil is added to the cheese mixture to provide a bit more body and help with the emulsion of the sauce.
- Salt: The salt is for the pasta cooking water, and we recommend using kosher salt or sea salt.
- Pasta: Dry spaghetti is perfect for this recipe and is traditional, but any long pasta noodle works great here, such as linguine, bucatini pasta, pici or something similar. You could actually make cacio e pepe with practically any pasta shape. Try it with small shells or a tube pasta like penne!
- Ground black pepper: Pepper (the 'pepe' in this dish's name), is an important ingredient to give this pasta its classic peppery flavor! Fresh pepper that you crack yourself will have the best flavor in this dish as compared to pre-ground pepper.
See recipe card below for quantities.
Substitutions
Here are a few common substitutions for the ingredients in this recipe:
- Cheeses: You can substitute the pecorino and parmesan combination for one or the other if you wish.
How to Make Creamy Cacio e Pepe Pasta
Cacio e Pepe is easy to make in just a few steps:
Equipment
You likely have everything you need to make this classic Roman pasta dish already, but here is a list in case you don't:
- Large frying pan
- Large pot
- Whisk
Step-by-Step Instructions
This quick and easy pasta dish is ready in under 20 minutes with just a few simple steps.
Step 1: Grate and Combine Cheeses
- Freshly grate the pecorino and parmesan cheeses and combine in a bowl with the extra virgin olive oil. Stir to combine thoroughly.
Step 2: Cook your Pasta
- Fill a large pot halfway full with water (about 4 quarts of water is perfect), add 1 tablespoon of salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta to the large pot of salted water and cook until about 75-80% done (follow the package directions for timing).
Step 3: Start the Sauce
- A couple minutes before the pasta is ready, heat a large skillet (large enough to hold all the pasta) over medium heat and add the cracked black pepper for about 30 seconds to toast. Reduce the heat to low and add 3 ladles (about 1 cup) of the hot starchy pasta water to the pan with the pepper and allow it to simmer on low heat.
- Remove the partially cooked pasta from the large pot of water and transfer the hot pasta into the pan with the pepper water and stir to combine and continue to simmer. The pasta will cook for a few more minutes until done (al dente) in the pan. Reserve the pasta cooking water for the sauce.
Step 4: Finish the Sauce
- While the pasta simmers with the pepper water, add 1 ladle (about ⅓ cup) of the starchy pasta cooking water to the bowl of grated cheeses. Vigorously whisk the cheese and the pasta water with a whisk or fork to create a thick paste/sauce consistency. As the cheese melts with the hot starchy water, the sauce will begin to form. Add the emulsified cheese sauce to the pan with the pasta and stir to combine. This should create a perfect creamy consistency, but you can add more pasta water if needed to thin it out. The salty cheeses used in this dish may be enough salt for your taste, but taste for seasoning and add additional salt as needed.
Step 5: Serve
- Transfer pasta to individual plates or bowls. Serve with additional grated pecorino and/or parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper if desired. Buon appetito!
Variations
There are tons of ways that you can change up this pasta dish! Here are a few we recommend:
- Make it spicy! Add some red pepper flakes to the pan with the pepper to give it a spicy kick.
- Serve with your favorite proteins mixed in. Adding cooked shrimp or chicken into the final dish makes this a heartier meal.
- Add your favorite veggies. Adding asparagus, zucchini, peas or tomatoes will brighten this dish up!
- Truffles: Make this dish a bit fancier by shaving some truffles into it.
Storage
How to store leftover cacio e pepe pasta?
We prefer to make this dish fresh when we are craving it since it is incredibly quick and easy to make. But if you do happen to have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
How to reheat leftover cacio e pepe?
The cream-free versions of cacio e pepe, like this recipe, will never be as creamy reheated as when it is made fresh, but it will still taste great! Reheat in a small saucepan on low until heated through. You may need to add a little water to loosen up the sauce a bit.
Can you freeze leftover cacio e pepe pasta?
We don't recommend freezing the leftovers. The cheesy sauce will not have a great texture after freezing and the pasta can get mushy. For best results, make this dish fresh!
Top Tips
- Cook the pasta in less water to concentrate the starches for a thicker and creamier sauce.
- Choose younger cheeses and grate them fresh when making this dish. Younger versions of these cheeses will be softer and a bit milder in flavor, but will also have more lactose and moisture, creating the perfect sauce. And NEVER use pre-shredded cheese.
- Adding a little extra virgin olive oil to the cheese mixture results in a creamier sauce (read below for details on these tips).
Tips for the Perfect Creamy Cacio e Pepe Pasta
Although this Cacio e Pepe recipe is quite a simple recipe with simple ingredients, it can be tricky to get the perfect consistency of the silky sauce. Here are a few tips to make the perfect Cacio e Pepe!
Pasta Cooking Water
First, cook the pasta in much less water than usual. The pasta water is combined with the grated cheese to create the sauce. Using less water than you usually would to cook the pasta will result in a more starchy water. This will provide more body to the dish at the end and it will help to bind the sauce and allow it to stick better to the pasta when combined.
We use an 8-quart pot to cook our pasta and fill it up halfway with water (about 4 quarts of water).
Picking a Young Cheese
Secondly, it is important to use younger cheeses that are aged for fewer months as they will produce the best texture in the dish. Using an aged cheese that is older than 2 years may result in clumps of cheese instead of a creamy and smooth sauce.
Pecorino cheese is aged for a minimum of 5 months, so look for pecorino that is on the younger end of the spectrum for best results in this dish.
Additionally, DO NOT buy pre-grated or pre-shredded cheese. Pre-grated cheeses often have anti-clumping agents in them which will interfere with the emulsification process for a creamy sauce.
We like to use a mixture of pecorino and parmesan in our version of this dish, but you can make this with 100% pecorino if desired. We have made this dish with Pecorino Toscano and loved it also - the flavor was just slightly milder.
Making the Creamy Pecorino Cheese Sauce
The most important part is this dreamy sauce! You will notice in our recipe that we add a touch of extra virgin olive oil with the cheese. We learned this trick from taking a cooking class with an Italian chef a few years ago. The addition of the olive oil to the grated cheese and pasta water results in better emulsification for a smooth sauce that is creamy and thick.
Make sure you whisk the cheese sauce vigorously until it's smooth and combined for best results.
Make it from scratch!
Homemade Pasta
Want to try this dish with homemade fresh pasta? Check out our Homemade Pasta recipe for our multipurpose pasta dough and cut into the pasta shape of your choice!
What Wines Pair with Cacio e Pepe Pasta
A crisp Italian white wine is our choice to drink with cacio e pepe. Pinot Grigio or Vermentino are lovely with the rich creamy sauce. You could also go for a Chardonnay if you prefer here.
Related
Looking for other pasta recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite main courses to serve with creamy cacio e pepe pasta as a side dish or if you are doing a multi-course meal:
Enjoy!
We hope that you enjoy this recipe for Creamy Cacio e Pepe Pasta! If you give this recipe a try, click the heart button, leave us a comment and 5-star rating below, or tag us on Instagram @cooking_with_wine! Buon appetito!
📖 Recipe
Creamy Cacio e Pepe Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 ounces 150g pecorino cheese*, freshly grated
- 1 ounce 30g parmesan cheese*, freshly grated
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon salt for pasta cooking water
- 12 ounces spaghetti, linguine, bucatini pasta or something similar
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Put the cheeses and the olive oil in a bowl and set aside.
- Fill a large pot halfway with water (about 4 quarts of water is perfect) and 1 tablespoon of salt and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the large pot of salted water and cook until about 75-80% done (follow the package directions for timing).
- A couple minutes before the pasta is ready, heat a large skillet (large enough to hold all the pasta) over medium heat and add the cracked black pepper for about 30 seconds. Reduce the heat to low and add 3 ladles (about 1 cup) of the hot starchy pasta water to the pan with the pepper and allow it to simmer on low heat. Remove the partially cooked pasta from the water and add to the pan with the pepper and stir to combine and continue to simmer. The pasta will cook until done (al dente) in the pan.
- Meanwhile, add 1 ladle (about ⅓ cup) of the starchy pasta cooking water to the bowl of grated cheese. Vigorously whisk the cheese and the pasta water to create a thick paste/sauce consistency. Add the emulsified sauce to the pan with the pasta and stir to combine. This should create a perfect consistency, but you can add more pasta water if needed to thin it out. The salty cheeses used in this dish may be enough salt for your taste, but taste for seasoning and add additional salt as needed.
- Serve with additional grated pecorino and/or parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper if desired. Buon appetito!
Notes
Nutrition
Food safety
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature (between 40°-140°F) for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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popsiclesociety says
On my, looks at all that creaminess! Yum 😋😋
Angela and Mark says
We hope you enjoy it!
Angela says
This pasta dish is one of our absolute favorites and we make it often. It comes together so quickly and is super easy to make, perfect for a busy weeknight. The creamy cheesy sauce is absolutely delicious as well!