Cacio e pepe
Spaghetti tossed in a creamy, peppery Pecorino Romano sauce made with nothing but cheese, cracked black pepper and starchy pasta water.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Serves
- 2
- Per serve
- 530 kcal
Ingredients
Method
Bring 1.5 liters (about 6 cups) of water to a boil in a covered wide pot with the salt (an electric kettle speeds this up). Using less water than usual makes it extra starchy, and that starch is what thickens the sauce. While it heats, grate the cheese as finely as you can and crack the pepper.
Add the spaghetti and cook, stirring often so it doesn't stick in the shallow water, for 2 minutes less than the package says (usually 7 to 8 minutes).
Meanwhile, toast the pepper in a large dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant. Ladle in about 1/2 cup of the pasta water and let it bubble, then turn off the heat.
Put the grated cheese in a bowl and stir in 3 tbsp of pasta water to make a thick, smooth paste. A paste melts evenly; dry cheese hitting hot pasta clumps.
Lift the spaghetti straight into the skillet with tongs (keep the pot of water). Turn the heat to medium and toss until the pasta is al dente and the liquid has reduced to a cloudy, starchy glaze.
Take the skillet off the heat and wait 30 seconds. Add the cheese paste and toss hard with tongs, adding splashes of pasta water, until the cheese melts into a smooth, creamy sauce that clings to every strand. Serve right away with extra pecorino and pepper.
Tips
- Why it works: the starch in the pasta water acts as an emulsifier, holding the fat from the cheese and the water together as a silky sauce. If the pan is too hot, the cheese proteins tighten into rubbery clumps, which is why the cheese goes in off the heat.
- If it does clump, add a splash of warm pasta water and keep tossing off the heat. Too thick? More water. Too thin? Toss for another 20 seconds and it will tighten.
- Pecorino Romano is always made with animal rennet, so this isn't strictly vegetarian. A vegetarian hard cheese works, but the flavor will be milder.
