Easy and Classic Cacio e Peppe Pasta

This creamy, cheesy Cacio e pepe recipe is a classic Italian (Roman) pasta dish made with Pecorino Romano cheese, black pepper, olive oil and starchy pasta water and is ready in 20 minutes for a quick weeknight dinner or easy pasta course.

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Classic Cacio e Pepe

Cacio e pepe is a typical Italian dish in that it’s made with simple, fresh ingredients like much of the Italian cuisine. It’s almost as simple as Spaghetti, Garlic and Olive Oil.

“Cacio” is a dialect term for cheese and “pepe” means pepper. 

Cacio e pepe is a classic Roman dish from the Lazio province of Italy where the capital city, Rome is located. My family lives two hours from Rome and I’ve been lucky to have visited this ancient city and some of its culinary treasures. 

The origins of this dish are debated. It could have dated back to ancient Roman times, which sounds feasible due to the ingredients that were available then.

Nonetheless, this pasta dish is simply delicious and easy if you follow my instructions in the recipe card below. I suggest reading them through before starting because the pasta needs to remain hot before it’s added to the peppered oil. 

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I’ll receive a very small commission but, the price you pay is the same. 

What is cacio and pepe made of?

Cacio e pepe is made with black pepper, Pecorino Romano cheese, long pasta- such as spaghetti, olive oil and starchy pasta water. It’s a basic pasta dish made with a creamy, cheesy sauce made with olive oil, starchy pasta water and grated pecorino romano cheese. 

Black Pepper

You will use a plentiful amount of black pepper for this pasta dish. It by nature is a peppery pasta dish.

Therefore, if you don’t like black pepper, this dish may not be for you. However, you can certainly dial back the amount of black pepper that’s used.

I suggest using 3/4 to 1 teaspoon of black pepper if you aren’t sure about the amount of pepper. This recipe calls for 1 1/4 teaspoons of freshly cracked black pepper. 

I strongly suggest you use freshly cracked black pepper for this recipe to get the full flavor of the black pepper. Because this recipe has few ingredients, the ones you choose may make or break the dish.

Pecorino Romano Cheese

Traditionally, this recipe is made with pecorino romano cheese which is made from sheep’s milk. It’s aged for 8-10 months.

Pecorino Romano is a bit sharp and tangy giving it a bit more pizzazz than parmesan cheese. 

However, if you find it a bit too sharp, you can do a 1:1 ratio in this recipe of grated parmesan cheese and pecorino romano.

What kind of pasta to use in cacio e pepe?

Typically, cacio e pepe is made with a long pasta such as, spaghetti, bucatini (hollow spaghetti) or tonnarelli (long, thick, square pasta.)

Cook the pasta al dente for the full effect of this dish. Test the pasta is to your liking before removing it from the pasta water and be sure to save a cup of pasta water, although you’ll likely not need all of it.

How to get the most flavor out of cacio e pepe?

Because this dish is made with basic ingredients and is a simple dish, the quality of the ingredients is imperative to render the best results. Therefore, grate your own pecorino romano cheese instead of buying it already grated.

Additionally, crack your own black pepper instead of using it already ground. 

Use good quality pasta and extra virgin olive oil. The oil should be dark green in color and a good brand.

Ingredients

*The printable, full recipe is in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• spaghetti 
• pecorino romano block cheese
• freshly cracked black pepper
• extra virgin olive oil
• starchy pasta water

Instructions Summary

*The printable, full recipe is in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

TIP: Read through all of the instructions first in the recipe card, before beginning the process.

First, cook the pasta and reserve some of the starchy pasta water.

Then heat the olive oil, add the pepper.

Then, add the drained, hot pasta and grated cheese and stir to melt cheese.

Add in the starchy pasta water and stir so the cheese can emulsify. The residual heat will thicken the sauce and it’ll become creamy.

Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, cracked pepper and/or additional grated cheese on top!

If this is the first time you’re making cacio e pepe and you find it delightful, you can start to experiment with non-classic variations. I’ve mentioned two of them below.

Additions and Substitutions

• Use bucatini or tonnarelli pasta instead.
• Add 3 minced garlic cloves at the point of heating the oil.
• Add 1-2 tablespoons of butter after you’ve toasted the black pepper in olive oil.

This classic cacio e pepe pasta recipe is sure to delight your taste buds while providing you a quick and easy pasta dinner for busy weeknights.

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