# Cacio e Pepe

Cacio e Pepe takes 40 min and serves 4.

Recipe by americastestkitchen.com · original: https://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/16844-cacio-e-pepe  
Cuisine: Italian · Dish: Pasta  
On Meez: https://meezenplace.app/recipes/cacio-e-pepe-recipe (with step-by-step Cook Mode)

This Roman classic’s ingredient list may be simple—but it takes strategy to spin water and cheese into a creamy, silky sauce.

## Ingredients (serves 4)

- 7 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, cut into ½-inch pieces (1⅔ cups), plus extra grated for serving
- 12 ounces thick spaghetti
- 4 teaspoons black peppercorns
- Table salt for cooking pasta

## Steps

1. Toast 4 teaspoons black peppercorns in Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant
2. Transfer peppercorns to spice grinder or mortar and pestle and grind until coarsely ground
3. Transfer 1½ teaspoons of ground pepper to large heatproof bowl and set aside; reserve remaining pepper for serving
4. In food processor, process 7 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese pieces until finely ground
5. With processor running, slowly add ¼ cup hot water and process until a spoonable, homogeneous paste forms (consistency should resemble thick yogurt or sour cream), adding up to an additional ¼ cup hot water, 2 teaspoons at a time, if needed
6. Scrape down sides of bowl and continue to process until smooth (paste will still look slightly grainy)
7. Transfer cheese paste to bowl
8. Bring 2 quarts water to boil in now-empty Dutch oven
9. Add 12 ounces thick spaghetti and ½ teaspoon table salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente
10. Just before pasta finishes cooking, reserve 1 cup cooking water
11. Add 2 tablespoons of reserved cooking water to pepper in large bowl
12. When pasta is al dente, use tongs to quickly transfer pasta to bowl with pepper (do not drain water in Dutch oven)
13. Add ¼ cup reserved cooking water and half of cheese paste and vigorously toss and stir pasta with tongs until paste is melted
14. Add remaining cheese paste and continue to toss and stir until paste is melted and pasta is coated in glossy, lightly thickened sauce, adjusting consistency with remaining reserved cooking water as needed
15. If pasta cools and sauce seems stiff, set bowl over Dutch oven and use residual heat from pasta water to gently rewarm while stirring
16. Serve immediately in warmed bowls, passing reserved pepper and grated cheese separately

## Good to know

### Swaps

No thick spaghetti? Tonnarelli or bucatini work well with the same cheese paste method.

## Nutrition (per serving, as published by americastestkitchen.com)

- Calories: 499 calories
- Protein: 27 g
- Carbohydrates: 67 g
- Cholesterol: 52 mg
- Sodium: 710 mg