Cacio e Pepe is Italian for “pepper and cheese” which is why this is one of my favorite go-to weeknight dinners. This indulgent 10 minute, one-pot pasta dinner is the perfect dish to help your unwind after a busy day. One pasta fork- twirl and you will instantly be daydreaming of a warm summer night in Italy.
Keep the meal simple by serving the cacio e pepe with a simple arugula salad with a light squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Cacio e Pepeo has super-simple ingredients:
- Fresh pasta noodles. Choose between linguine, pappardelle, fettuccine or anything alike. You can usually find fresh pasta pre-packaged at most grocery stores near the deli.
Or dry noodles. If you are unable to find fresh pasta, you can substitute dry pasta from the box. If you do this, you will need to add an additional cup of water and cook the pasta longer during step 4 – approx. 8-10 minutes until the pasta is done.
- A block of parmesan cheese. Freshly shredded parmesan cheese is a must-do for this recipe. You can use the in-store freshly shredded cheese from the deli section of your grocery store. I would avoid using any type of commercial pre-shredded parmesan, the cheese that is shelf-stable and pre-shredded is usually coated to prevent the cheese from sticking to each other – for this dish that will cause the cheese to clump into balls making it harder to create a cheese sauce.
- Pepper. I use regular table pepper for this dish. I will garnish with coarse ground black pepper, but this is totally optional.
Easy Cacio e Pepe
A quick and easy cheesy pasta that has a hint of fresh ground pepper. Absolutely delicious. Light, airy and perfect for literally anytime.
Servings 4
Calories 262kcal
Ingredients
- 1 TBSP Butter
- 1 tsp Pepper + more for garnish
- 1 tsp Salt
- 3 cloves Garlic - minced
- 2-2 ½ cups Water
- 7-8 oz Pasta see blog post
- ½ cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
- In deep pan, over medium heat, add the butter, black pepper, salt and minced garlic.1 TBSP Butter, 1 tsp Pepper, 1 tsp Salt, 3 cloves Garlic - minced
- Toast the pepper for about 30 seconds.
- Add in 2 cups of water and salt. Let it come up to a high simmer/boil and then add in your noodles.2-2 1/2 cups Water
- Toss the noodles so that they are mostly submerged under the water. Cook for 3-4 minutes, occasionally tossing with your tongs until cooked throughly. You should have about 1/4 cup of water left (see next step)If using dry pasta, it will cooke 8-10 minutes, and add more water as necessary until the pasta is cooked throughly, end with about 1/4 cup of water left (see next step)7-8 oz Pasta
- Once the pasta is cooked and the water has reduced to about 1/4 cup, turn off the heat. If you notice your water is reducing too quickly during the step above, add a little more water so that your noodles have time to cook.
- Off the heat, add your shredded parmesan cheese in the remainder of your pasta water and stir to combine. As the cheese melts start to toss in with the noodles. It's important to start in the pasta water so that the cheese doesn't clump together.1/2 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- Toss until the cheese is melted and creamy, covering all the noodles. This should only take about a minute or so.
- Garnish with shredded parmesan cheese and another pinch of black pepper.
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 0g | Calories: 262kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 1396mg | Potassium: 132mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 185IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 168mg | Iron: 1mg
You can also serve this dish with my chicken meatballs!