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Pasta Cacio e Pepe

This recipe was modified from Geoffrey Zakarian's Cacio e Pepe recipe. I love the cooking technique but hate using only ¾ of a box of pasta. (Plus our family needs more pasta than that!) If you don't like black pepper, you will not like this, but if you do, all you need is 5 ingredients and 20 minutes to get a delicious dinner on the table.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Pasta, Pecorino
Servings: 5

Ingredients

  • 1 pound (500 g) dry pasta artisan style thick cut is best
  • Kosher salt
  • 40 turns of freshly ground black pepper, coarsely ground (about 1 ½ teaspoons) plus more for serving
  • ¾ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese divided (or more, if desired)
  • 1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more for serving, if desired

Instructions

  • Place the pasta in a skillet just wide enough to hold it in one layer. Fill the pan so the water is one inch from the bottom and just barely covering the pasta. Add a generous sprinkling of Kosher salt to the pasta and water and bring to a boil. Cook on medium-high heat, stirring as needed to prevent the pasta from sticking together. I set the timer for what the package says for al dente, but you are going to let the pasta water reduce almost completely so you need to keep an eye on it and it may take more time than the package says. Do not add more water unless it completely evaporates before the pasta is cooked. It that case, you an add a little bit more, but you are working to have very little starchy water left before you add the other ingredients.
  • While the pasta is cooking, add the black pepper to a separate small pan over medium heat. Cook for one to two minutes until it is toasted and starting be become fragrant.
  • When the pasta water has reduced to the point that only a little bit remains and the bottom of the pan, and the pasta is al dente, turn off the heat to the pan. Add the toasted ground black pepper and ½ cup of the Pecorino-Romano. Stir quickly and vigorously to incorporate the ingredients together and create a silky sauce. Taste and add more cheese, salt and/or pepper to taste. Add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and stir again.
  • Place the pasta in a large serving bowl, garnishing with additional black pepper, Pecorino-Romano and extra-virgin olive oil (if desired).