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Cacio e Pepe

A simple, comforting Cacio e Pepe made with just pasta, black pepper, pecorino, and salt. It comes together in minutes, creating a creamy, peppery sauce that feels warm, grounding, and effortless.
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Course: dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Spaghetti or tonnarelli if you have it
  • Pecorino Romano cheese finely grated (parmesan works if needed)
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Salt for pasta water

Method
 

  1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta until al dente.
  2. While the pasta cooks, toast a generous amount of black pepper in a dry pan over low heat for 1–2 minutes to release its aroma.
  3. Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
  4. Add the hot, drained pasta to the pan with the toasted pepper.
  5. Remove from heat, then slowly add grated cheese while tossing constantly.
  6. Add small splashes of reserved pasta water as needed until it becomes creamy and glossy.
  7. Keep tossing until the sauce coats the pasta evenly.

Notes

Tip

The key is heat control and pasta water—too hot and the cheese clumps, too little water and it won’t emulsify into a sauce.
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