How To Make Spaghetti Cacio E Pepe Like A Roman Recipe

It took me years to make a decent Cacio e Pepe, and the simple technique I finally nailed turns this into an essential entry in my Pasta Recipes.

It took me years to make a decent Cacio e Pepe, one of Rome’s traditional pasta dishes, the others being Carbonara, Matriciana and Gricia. Since Cacio e Pepe has only three main parts it’s brutally revealing, you can’t hide behind trickery.

I finally learned how a few simple moves make ordinary spaghetti sing when Pecorino Romano gets folded in, and it’s surprising how tense a spoonful of Pecorino Romano can make you. I still mess up sometimes but when it works it’s like Rome on a plate.

If you follow Pasta Dishes or flip through Italian Recipes you’ll know simple doesn’t mean easy.

Ingredients

• Spaghetti: high in carbs, moderate protein, filling comfort food, quick to cook.
• Pecorino Romano: salty, sharp, rich in protein and calcium, gives bold umami tang.
• Black peppercorns: cracked for bright, spicy heat, some antioxidants, wakes up the dish.
• Salt: amplifies taste, necessary for pasta water, but limit it for health.
• Pasta starch: released into cooking water, helps emulsify sauce into silky coating.
• Umami boost: cheese gives savory depth, turns few ingredients into something luxurious.
• Calorie note: carb plus cheese makes it rich, delicious but moderately high calorie.
• Tradition: Roman simplicity, technique matters more than many ingredients, honest and rustic.

Ingredient Quantities

• 400 g spaghetti (about 14 oz, roughly 100 g per person)
• 150 g Pecorino Romano, finely grated (about 1 1/2 cups packed)
• 2 tablespoons black peppercorns, coarsely cracked
• Salt for the pasta water, approx 1 tablespoon for a large pot

How to Make this

1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, add about 1 tablespoon salt, then drop in 400 g spaghetti and cook to just shy of al dente (like 1 to 2 minutes less than the package says).

2. While the pasta cooks, coarsely crack 2 tablespoons black peppercorns with a mortar, rolling pin or by smashing in a jar, then toast the cracked pepper in a dry wide skillet over medium heat until it smells nutty, about 30–60 seconds.

3. Just before draining, scoop out and save 1 1/2 to 2 cups of the hot starchy pasta water, then quickly drain the spaghetti. Dont rinse.

4. Put 150 g finely grated Pecorino Romano in a bowl and stir in 3 to 4 tablespoons of the hot pasta water to make a thick, smooth paste (this slurry keeps the cheese from clumping).

5. Turn the skillet with toasted pepper to low, add a splash of reserved pasta water to the pepper to make a thin peppery broth, toss in the drained spaghetti so it picks up that flavor.

6. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the Pecorino slurry a little at a time while you toss or stir vigorously with tongs, adding more reserved water tablespoon by tablespoon until the sauce becomes glossy and creamy and clings to the strands.

7. Keep the pan off direct heat as you emulsify the cheese with the starchy water, work fast, dont dump all the cheese or water at once or you get clumps.

8. Taste once, adjust with a tiny pinch more Pecorino or a few grinds of cracked pepper if you want it punchier. Be careful with extra salt since Pecorino is very salty.

9. Serve immediately on warmed plates, twirl into nests, finish with a final dusting of Pecorino and a quick crack of black pepper.

10. Quick hacks and tips: grate the cheese very fine and keep it cold and dry; reserve more pasta water than you think youll need; if the sauce seizes up whisk in hot water or toss in a clean bowl; no butter or cream for an authentic Roman cacio e pepe.

Equipment Needed

1. Large pot for boiling the pasta (big enough for 400 g spaghetti)
2. Colander to drain the spaghetti, dont rinse
3. Wide heavy skillet for toasting pepper and tossing the pasta
4. Mortar and pestle or a jar/rolling pin to coarsely crack the pepper
5. Tongs to toss and emulsify the sauce quickly
6. Heatproof ladle or large measuring cup to scoop one and a half to two cups hot pasta water
7. Mixing bowl to make the Pecorino slurry
8. Fine grater or microplane for finely grating Pecorino Romano

FAQ

How To Make Spaghetti Cacio E Pepe Like A Roman Recipe Substitutions and Variations

How To Make Spaghetti Cacio E Pepe Like A Roman

Short version: good pasta, lots of Pecorino, bold cracked black pepper, and a little pasta water magic. It’s simple, but getting a silky sauce takes a tiny bit of practice. here’s how I do it, and yes you will love it.

Ingredients
– 400 g spaghetti (about 14 oz, roughly 100 g per person)
– 150 g Pecorino Romano, finely grated (about 1 1/2 cups packed)
– 2 tablespoons black peppercorns, coarsely cracked
– Salt for the pasta water, approx 1 tablespoon for a large pot

Method
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt it well, like the sea. Add the spaghetti and cook until just shy of al dente, about 1 to 2 minutes less than the package says. Reserve about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of the pasta cooking water before you drain.
2. While the pasta cooks, toast the cracked pepper in a wide, dry skillet over medium heat until it’s fragrant and just a bit darker, about 1 minute. Shake the pan so it doesn’t burn.
3. Add the drained spaghetti to the peppered skillet with a splash of the reserved pasta water. Toss for 30 seconds to let the pasta pick up some pepper flavor.
4. Off the heat, sprinkle in about half the grated Pecorino and toss or stir quickly, adding more reserved water a little at a time to create a creamy emulsion. Keep working it until the cheese melts into a glossy sauce that clings to each strand. If it looks too dry, add another tablespoon or two of water. If it breaks or becomes grainy, cool it slightly and add more starchy water, keep stirring.
5. Taste and adjust. Add pepper and cheese to your liking. Serve immediately with a final dusting of Pecorino and more freshly cracked pepper.

Tips that actually help
– Use finely grated Pecorino so it melts fast and smooth. A microplane is your friend.
– Work off the heat when adding cheese, otherwise it clumps into glue.
– The starchy pasta water is the secret. Add it slowly, you don’t need much.
– Don’t overcook the pasta. It finishes in the sauce.
– If sauce gets gummy, add more hot starchy water and stir like crazy. It’ll come back.

Substitutions

• Spaghetti: bucatini or tonnarelli for a thicker bite, or gluten free spaghetti if you need it
• Pecorino Romano: Parmigiano-Reggiano or a 50/50 mix of Pecorino and Parmesan for less salt and a nuttier flavor
• Black peppercorns: freshly ground Tellicherry pepper for more aroma, or white pepper for a milder, cleaner heat
• Salt for the pasta water: kosher salt or coarse sea salt; if your cheese is very salty use less added salt

Pro Tips

– Grate the Pecorino super fine and keep it cold and dry. Make a thick paste first by stirring a few tablespoons of hot pasta water into the cheese, then add that paste slowly to the pasta. Dont dump all the cheese in at once or it will clump.

– Save more starchy pasta water than you think, at least a cup and a half. That water is your sauce, add it tablespoon by tablespoon until the noodles are glossy. If the sauce seizes up, whisk in a little hot water or toss everything into a clean bowl and keep stirring.

– Crush the pepper coarsely and gently toast it in a dry skillet until it smells nutty, but dont let it burn. Toasting wakes up the oils and gives a brighter pepper flavor than using raw pepper.

– Work off the heat and move fast. Use tongs to toss, add the cheese slurry a little at a time and keep stirring so the cheese emulsifies with the water. Direct heat will make it grainy so stay off the burner.

– Taste before you add salt, Pecorino is already very salty. No butter or cream for an authentic result, but if you want extra silkiness a tiny knob of butter added at the very end will help, just dont overdo it.