“There are many ways to make this classic dish of cacio e pepe and each Roman cook will show you some slightly different ways to manipulate pasta, cheese, and pepper into a wonderful, warm bowl of comfort food.” So begins this seemingly unassuming recipe for authentic cacio e pepe. But when you peruse the instructions, that’s when the magic truly begins.
The cacio e pepe pasta relies on a method known as “risotato,” so-called because it is like making a risotto. The pasta is cooked not in a pot of salted water but in a frying pan just large enough to contain the spaghetti. As the cooking water is absorbed by the pasta the liquid in the pan reduces and becomes the sauce. And that’s just in theory. Wait’ll you taste it.–David Leite
Cacio e Pepe FAQs
Yeah, we get tongue-tied sometimes, too. Here’s the phonetic pronunciation kaa·choh ee peh·pay And here’s an Italian speaking it for you.
This recipe specifically calls for cacio de Roma (literally Roman cheese). And since cacio de pepe is a quintessential Roman dish, you’d do well to find some. It’s a semi-soft sheep’s cheese from Lazio (the region of Italy that encompasses the province of Rome).
While a hard cheese won’t give you quite the same result, there are substitutions. Most of our testers were unable to find cacio de Roma without specially ordering it, so if you find yourself in the same situation, you can use pecorino Romano (a hard sheep’s milk cheese) instead. Failing that, Parmigiano-Reggiano makes an acceptable choice as well
Although it’s not traditional, our testers had success making this with linguine, bucatini, penne, and gluten-free pasta.
Cacio e Pepe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 11 1/2 ounces fresh tonnarelli or dried spaghetti
- Generous pinch salt
- 4 1/4 to 5 cups boiling water or exceptionally hot tap water
- 3 1/2 ounces cacio de Roma, finely grated [See FAQ above]
Instructions
- Grab your largest saucepan (you want it to be around 12 inches or 30 centimeters in diameter or large enough for the spaghetti to lie in a single layer) and place it over medium heat. Add the oil and pepper and heat until you can smell the heady spice of the pepper, about 2 minutes.
- Add the spaghetti to the pan along with the salt and about 2 cups (16 fluid ounces) of water. You'll want to watch out as the water may sputter when added to the hot oil. Add the remaining 2 1/4 cups (18 fluid ounces) hot water, little by little, as you would with risotto—that is to say, add a ladleful of hot water and cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid is almost but not completely absorbed before adding another ladleful of water.
- Repeat until the spaghetti is al dente and the water has reduced to a soupy consistency, 8 to 10 minutes. If the pasta starts to look dry, add a little more water but no more than a total of 5 cups (40 fluid ounces).
- While the pasta is cooking, warm some bowls in a low oven. (Don't ignore this step. It helps ensure the creamy sauce clinging to the pasta doesn't turn to clumps.)
- When the pasta is ready, remove the pan from the heat and add the cheese, a little at a time, stirring furiously and constantly, until a smooth and creamy sauce forms. Serve the cacio e pepe straight away in the hot bowls.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
Wowee! I’ll be making this authentic cacio e pepe recipe again and again. Completely surprised by the easy method and the taste—both are fabulous. It’s the dish to make when you think there’s no food in the house. A few simple ingredients, paired with a glass of wine, and voilà—you have a fancy dinner!
I used pecorino Romano cheese. We had some leftovers, and they reheated okay in the microwave with a drizzle of olive oil and a quick stir after a minute or so.
To be honest, I didn’t think this easy cacio e pepe recipe would work. But it’s genius. The pasta was perfectly cooked. The sauce was super creamy and tasty. And all done in 10 minutes.
I’m in love! It took me about 8 minutes to cook the pasta, but I used fresh pasta (linguini by Bertolli ). I boiled water in the electric kettle, and in the meanwhile roasted the fresh ground pepper (I used a tricolored pepper) in the olive oil. Added the fresh pasta and a cup of boiling water. Stirred every minute or so, adding more water. After 8 minutes, the pasta was perfect. Added about 1/2 cup additional hot water and the cheese and stirred fiercely with a wooden spoon for about 30 seconds. Done.
Perfect creamy sauce, coating the pasta nicely. The cheese I used was a young Reggiano. Love it and will give it a try with carbonara. The 4 servings are accurate, especially when you use it as a pasta course in an Italian meal.
This cacio e pepe was really delicious and a breeze to put together for a quick weeknight meal with some sautéed kale on the side.
My only issue was the amount of pepper in the recipe was a little overwhelming. And I like pepper. I’d suggest perhaps starting with half the amount and adding to the finished dish to taste. I used pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated.
The timing was perfect—at 10 minutes, there was just enough liquid left in the pan to make a smooth sauce, no extra water needed. The pasta was still al dente, and when the cheese was slowly added, stirring constantly, it produced a very smooth sauce. Even as it cooled, the sauce stayed smooth.
This is a delicious and very simple pasta dish. It doesn’t mean that you don’t need to pay careful attention, though. I added about half the water at once, then added smaller amounts throughout the cooking process in order to achieve a creamy base.
I was able to find a semi-soft pecorino, although it wasn’t cacio de Roma, and it melted beautifully into the spaghetti. A nice creamy sauce was achieved, with plenty to go around for 4 plates. This is where you need to pay attention to the sauciness of the dish and add more water if need be. I am not sure how using Parmesan or regular aged pecorino would translate here, as both are much harder cheeses and don’t melt as well. I used a little more water than called for, and my actual cooking time was closer to 12 minutes.
My other concern was that perhaps 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper was not going to be enough. This was after researching other recipes that called for anywhere up to 4 tablespoons. I stuck with 1 teaspoon, and it was perfect—plenty of heat but not one person out of 4 diners thought it was too much. I served this along with a heaping bowl of charred greens—kale, chard, broccoli, and zucchini. The strong flavors of the greens really helped contrast with the quiet flavors in this dish, and I recommend this pairing!
Carbs and sauce—a basic combination that makes so many satisfying meals we love. Even better when the combo can be prepared in a flash, and this pasta dish is exactly that.
I tested this recipe twice, and cheese seems to be the defining ingredient here. I made a 50/50 blend of pecorino Romano and Parmigiano-Reggiano (both hard) for the first test and used cacio de Roma (semi-soft) the second time. The latter was the clear winner for me. The sauce was remarkably creamier and the flavor was rounder—like a silky béchamel—and an excellent cushion for the abundant black pepper.
The hard cheeses worked fine, but I found them a bit too sharply salty for this dish, and the sauce wasn’t quite as smooth. Another finding: very hot tap water worked just as well as boiling water. A one-pan/one-burner dinner for four—what home cook wouldn’t love that?! Oh, absolutely do serve this with bread so none of the sauce goes to waste.
I used Barilla thick spaghetti, and the cooking time on the package was 11 minutes. It took an extra minute for the pasta to cook to al dente, probably because of the small amount of water it was cooked in (no room for the pasta to “swim” in rolling water). If I had used regular spaghetti (cooking time: 9 minutes), I suspect it would have taken 10 minutes as stated in the recipe. This recipe feeds 3 to 4 people.
In thinking about another substitute for cacio de Roma (I wasn’t crazy about the results the two hard cheeses yielded), pecorino Toscano might be a good one. I didn’t test it in this recipe, so I’m only guessing. It’s another semi-soft sheep’s milk cheese (has to be young; aged one is hard & crumbly) with a round soft flavor. It’s sold at the market where I shop, and the price is about the same as cacio de Roma.
This authentic cacio e pepe recipe transports me to Da Felice in Rome where I first tasted cacio e pepe surrounded by locals enjoying an evening out. It’s so easy and so comforting that it should be added to your repertory, immediately. I like to warm the bowls by letting them rest beside my cooking pan on the gas top. Although I have a difficult time finding cacio de Roma cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano is a lovely substitute.
For those who are gluten-free, this recipe works beautifully with gluten-free pasta, Bonta d’Italia being my favorite. Should you want a meatier, albeit not quite authentic, version try adding a bit of speck or thickly sliced prosciutto. I won’t tell.
I remember first glancing over this recipe and being especially intrigued by the comments on how quickly it comes together. This recipe became my last-minute solution for dinner and it was much more comforting and many levels above plain boiled pasta tossed with the same ingredients.
I had everything in my fridge and pantryโParmesan, olive oil, salt, waterโexcept for spaghetti.
Yikes, I only had penne. I thought I would give it a whirl anyway and, by golly, it worked and was delicious! I am so happy to have found this new cooking method for pasta! For the penne, I eventually used all 5 cups of water and at the end, I had enough in the pan to make that great sauce. I used boiling water from my tea kettle.
Amazingly, the penne cooked according to the directions on the box and was the perfect, perfect al dente, cooking time was only 12 minutes. I was quite surprised. I loved that I had only one dirtied pan. As a result, I had three (including myself) very delighted tasters.
Penne would not be my first choice in making this dish as I imagine the parmesan clings much better to spaghetti noodles, but there were no complaints and I would definitely use it again if it was all I hadโฆthe saucy soupy cheese sauce almost reminded me of a very light fettuccini alfredo sauce.
I will definitely be making this again, and my teenager even asked me to email him a link to the recipe as well, he loved it!
Dawn, Iโm thrilled you found this recipe so versatile! I love how you improvised with penne and still ended up with such a comforting and delicious meal. Sometimes the best dishes come from adapting to whatโs in the pantry, right?
Itโs great to hear that the pasta cooked perfectly al dente, even with the unexpected shape. And I agreeโthe saucy, soupy cheese sauce is a bit reminiscent of a light fettuccine Alfredo. Love that your teenager enjoyed it so much, too!
Thanks for sharing your experience and the clever use of penne. This method really does work wonders, even with a bit of creativity!
This is probably one of the most basic and simplest pastas Iโve ever tasted, and yet itโs so full of flavor and with a perfect consistency! I was so curious about this dish , because of its simplicity, which is a characteristic of some of the best Italian dishes I know . In particular , I was curious about this method, โrisotatoโ!
For this recipe, I used fresh spaghetti and Pecorino Romano cheese. The recipe is easy to prepare and works so wellโabout 8 minutes cooking and the pasta is al dente and the water has a soupy consistency, as expected. When I added the cheese, I go t a nice creamy sauce and a well-balanced pepper and cheese taste for the pasta.
Iโm also curious about the result with a different cheese , so I will try it again someday. Itโs very important to serve the pasta in heated bowls, to prevent the cheese from setting , and to serve it immediately (I left a small amount in the bowl for some time and it became gluey). Serves 4, if served as antipasti.
Helena, you summed up exactly what makes this dish so specialโsimplicity at its finest! That “risotato” technique really does transform just a few ingredients into something silky and luxurious.
I love that you used fresh spaghettiโI bet that made the texture even better. And yes, serving in heated bowls is key! Once that cheese starts setting, it can change the whole experience.
If you do experiment with different cheeses, Iโd love to hear what you find works best! Thanks for such a thoughtful and insightful review.
When I first read the technique for making this cacio e pepe recipe , I was incredibly skeptical. However , as it came together , I was in awe at how the pasta cooked in the time suggested and how the cooking water created a wonderful soupy texture and melted the cheese into a gorgeous creamy sauce.
Even as the bowls cooled the cheese didnโt separate and when I took the leftovers to work for lunch the next day they reheated wonderfully.
This is easily a dish I can call upon when Iโm short on time as it took less than 30 minutes to come together. Though it packed a little bit of a kick, I would try using a bit more pepper next time. In some bites, it got lost in the tanginess of the cheese . I used Parmigiano Reggiano and it made a great creamy sauce.
Heather, I love hearing about your before-and-after skepticism to awe transformation with this recipe! It really is amazing how a simple method can create such a luscious, creamy sauce.
Great to know that the cheese didnโt separate even as the bowls cooledโthatโs a huge win for texture. And I appreciate the note about pepper balanceโitโs always fun to tweak it to personal taste.
Also, kudos for testing the leftoversโglad to hear they reheated well! Thanks for sharing your experience, and I hope this stays in your go-to quick meal rotation.