Cacio e Pepe translates to cheese and pepper. A quick flavorful béchamel sauce transforms this white pizza, it's absolute perfection.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time12 minutesmins
Total Time32 minutesmins
Course: Pizza
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 1pizza
Ingredients
½TBSP Butter
1smallShallot, thinly sliced
4cloves Garlic - minced
¼tspSalt
2TBSPFresh Thyme see blog notes
½tspPepper
½TBSPFlour
½cupMilk
1½cupItalian Cheese Mix (Asiago, Romano and Parmesan) - shredded
1Pizza Dough at room temperature see blog notes
Corn Meal
1TBSP Olive Oil
1½cupFresh Parmesan Cheese - grated
⅛tspCoarse Ground Black Pepper
Fresh Thyme (garnish, optional)
Instructions
If you haven't already, set out your pizza dough, it will roll the easiest at room temperature.
In a pot, add your butter, thinly sliced shallot, garlic, salt, fresh thyme and pepper.
Over medium heat, let the butter melt, the shallot soften and become translucent. Let the garlic and thyme become fragrant, about 3 minutes or so. Stir frequently to prevent the garlic from burning.
Add in your flour, stir it around your pot and let it cook while you measure out your milk.
Whisk in your milk and let it continue to cook over medium heat until it starts to thicken. Try not to let it boil. Once it becomes thick enough to coat a spoon, take it off the heat.
Once you remove it from the heat, add in your Italian cheese blend and stir until melted and combined.
Set aside so you can prepare your pizza.
Preheat your oven to 400F. If you are using a pizza stone, make sure to put it in your oven as it heats up so that it can preheat as well. If you are using a sheet pan, this step is not necessary.
Sprinkle your counter with corn meal, place your pizza dough on top. If the pizza dough is still too sticky to roll out, sprinkle a little corn meal on the top of the dough. Roll out your dough to your preferred thickness (mine was about ¼ - ½ of an inch) and to fit your pizza stone/sheet pan.
Once the dough is rolled out, sprinkle your preheated pizza stone or sheet pan with corn meal to prevent sticking (no cooking spray needed). Carefully transfer the dough and place it on the pan.
Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil over the dough. Spread the white sauce to cover the bottom of the dough.
Cover the top with grated cheese and a pinch or two of coarse ground blank pepper.