Along with carbonara and amatriciana, cacio e pepe is one of Rome’s essential pasta dishes, served at restaurants all over the Italian capital. Like many of the Eternal City’s best dishes, a good cacio e pepe recipe is about simplicity. Classic versions call for just pasta, salted water, freshly ground pepper, and Pecorino Romano, a Roman sheep’s milk cheese. Ours tosses a bit of Grana Padano or Parmesan into the mix for a more rounded cheese flavor that melds warmth, nuttiness, and sharpness. When combined properly, all the elements come together like sorcery into a lusciously cheesy dish with a creamy sauce.
Ensuring this emulsified Italian pasta sauce is free of clumps when working the cheese into the starchy water can take practice. The quality of each ingredient is key: Use good butter and the best pasta you can afford and ensure your peppercorns are fresh. Classic cacio e pepe uses tonnarelli, a long pasta noodle that’s slightly thicker than spaghetti, but any long or short pasta works (think spaghetti, bucatini, rigatoni, or fettuccine). But the most important component is that cheese: Do not use pre-grated cheeses, which often include additives that prevent clumping in the bag but will cause clumping in your sauce. Use a box grater, not a fine Microplane, for coarsely grated cheese shreds that easily disperse and melt into the sauce without seizing up.
Cacio e pepe is best served immediately, so be sure to set your table before you start cooking. The dish needs little accompaniment, but a bright green salad is a nice addition to balance out the richness. And we'd never say no to garlic bread.
Need a vegan version? Try this one.
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Ingredients
2 servings
Kosher salt
6
oz. pasta (such as egg tagliolini, bucatini, or spaghetti)
3
Tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed, divided
1
tsp. coarsely ground black pepper, plus more
¾
cup finely grated Grana Padano or Parmesan cheese
⅓
cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese
FAQs
Don't overheat the sauce.
If you've ever had the cheese clump up or stick to the pan when making cacio e pepe (very common, but always such a tragedy!), it was likely due to the cheese being overheated. Be absolutely sure that the burner is turned off below the sauté pan with the melted butter.
How to not mess up cacio e pepe? ›
Because we are cooking the pasta in less water than normal, make sure to stir the pasta frequently while cooking so that it doesn't stick to the pot, this includes multi-tasking while you melt the butter and sauté the pepper. Don't overcook pasta. Just like clumpy cheese can ruin Cacio e Pepe, so can mushy pasta.
Why is cacio e pepe so hard to perfectly execute? ›
But it is extremely hard to execute well because you need to control the heat. The cheese will become stringy if you heat up your pan too much (above 70 °C or 158 °F). I tested all the methods, so you do not need to! Cacio e Pepe is rare in restaurants because it is hard to serve warm without the corn starch trick.
Why can't I make cacio e pepe? ›
You can clearly see this happening if you try to cook cacio e pepe in a pan that's too hot: The cheese proteins form a film on the bottom of the pan. Cheese on the bottom: an indication that the pan was a little too hot. The only real solution is to not let it happen in the first place.
What is the secret of cacio e pepe? ›
Tips for Making Cacio e Pepe
Let the pasta cool slightly—Ripping hot pasta plus finely shredded or grated cheese inevitably yields a clumpy sauce. Letting the pasta cool for 2 minutes before tossing ensures a perfectly creamy sauce.
Can I use parmesan instead of pecorino for cacio e pepe? ›
Opt for Parmesan: You can use Parmesan instead of Pecorino Romano, or even combine the two for a unique cheese profile. However, Parmesan isn't as salty or tangy as Pecorino Romano, so you may need to add more to get the sharpness that cacio e pepe is known for.
How do you thicken cacio e pepe? ›
- Add a little more pasta water than you think you need (the pasta will continue to soak it up and the sauce will thicken on your plate).
Where did Anthony Bourdain have cacio e pepe? ›
In one infamous episode of No Reservations, Bourdain visited a secret restaurant (later revealed to be Ristorante Roma Sparita) where he enjoyed a cacio e pepe so delicious, he listed a handful of life experiences he would sacrifice in order to eat it again (namely, a Jefferson Airplane concert, some acid trips, ...
Should cacio e pepe be salty? ›
It's said that the owners of Rome's osterie liked serving cacio e pepe because the salty cheese and copious amounts of pepper in the sauce prompted diners to order wine to wash it down—a clever business ploy by the restaurateurs.
How is cacio e pepe supposed to taste? ›
The translation of Cacio e Pepe literally means cheese and pepper. This pasta dish is incredibly simple, but packs a lot of rich flavor with pecorino Romano cheese and freshly ground pepper. It has a very rich and strong flavor due to the Pecorino Romano sharp cheese as well as the heavy amount of pepper.
One factor in getting the cheese to emulsify properly which is usually where cacio e pepe fails is the amount of starch in the water.
How do I make sure my cheese doesn't clump? ›
Use Corn Starch
You can coat your shredded cheese with a thin layer of cornstarch to prevent clumping. Corn starch works by absorbing excess moisture, meaning the cheese will not become sticky. It's also flavorless, so it won't affect the taste. Add 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch per 1 block of shredded cheese.
How do you make pasta not clump together? ›
It's kind of a no brainer, but stirring the pasta helps keep the noodles moving and breaks up sticky spots before they become full-on clumps. But you don't have to sit over the pot and stir constantly. Aim to stir the pasta fully within the first two minutes of cooking, then another time or two while the pasta cooks.
How do you make cheese sauce that doesn't clump? ›
Hot liquids, like pasta water, heavy cream, melted butter, or beaten eggs, help distribute melted cheese evenly by surrounding it with heat. Since every bit of surface area is in contact with hot liquid, the cheese melts at the same rate. No clumps to be found, just a glossy, luscious sauce.
Why does Cacio e Pepe split? ›
One factor in getting the cheese to emulsify properly which is usually where cacio e pepe fails is the amount of starch in the water.
