Name: Cacio e Pepe Pasta
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 22 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 1 pound dried spaghetti; 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese; 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, small diced; 1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely grated black pepper

Home
About
Recipes
Tune in to Our Latest Video

5-Ingredient Strawberry Pastries

Skip the freezer aisle and watch Kelly whip up her all-time favorite breakfast!
Browse Recipes by Category
Most Popular
Videos
Parents
Contact

Cacio e Pepe Pasta

Kelly Senyei
5 April 5, 2018
44 Comments

Pin3K

Share245

3K Shares

You’re only four ingredients and less than 25 minutes away from this easy, creamy recipe for Cacio e Pepe Pasta.

A green pot containing Cacio e Pepe Pasta and tongs

What the forms say: W-2, 1099, IT-201, W-9, 1040.

What I read: KFC, BLT, M&Ms, CPK, PB&J.

Green pot with cooked spaghetti and tongs

There may not be crying in baseball, but there is without a doubt crying in taxes. I’ve never been big on “math,” so every year when tax season rolls around, you better believe there is a flurry of emails to my accountant with a lot of of who-what-when-where-and-how’s.

Green pot with cooked spaghetti topped with grated Parmesan and black pepper

Cooking, and let’s be honest, eating for a living, leads to a whole lot-o-food bills. So every April I take a long, hard look at my grocery receipts and restaurant bills and decide that next year, I’ll dial it back.

So here’s my first attempt: noodles, butter, cheese and pepper; a.k.a. Cacio e Pepe Pasta.

Large pot containing Cacio e Pepe Pasta and tongs

This recipe is my go-to budget-friendly, big-flavored favorite that’s not so great for the skinny jeans but unbeatable for the wallet. My sister first introduced me to this dish during dinner at my favorite Italian restaurant in Chicago, Davanti Enoteca. One taste, and I, nor my food budget, have ever looked back.

Tune in to the video below to see me whip up this quick and cost-conscious favorite!

Craving more? Subscribe to Just a Taste to get new recipes, meal plans and a newsletter delivered straight to your inbox! And stay in touch on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Cacio e Pepe Pasta

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 12 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

1 pound dried spaghetti
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, small diced
1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely grated black pepper

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Add the spaghetti and cook it until al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.

Return the pasta to the pot. Add the grated cheese, butter, black pepper and roughly 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water to the pot, stirring until combined. If necessary, add more pasta water to thin out the cheese and butter until the spaghetti is well coated.

Kelly's Notes:

I can't tell you how many times I've forgotten to reserve a portion of the pasta water when draining the spaghetti. The starchy water is critical to the consistency of the sauce, so while hot water will work in a pinch, avoid forgetting this step!

The cheese must be grated, rather than shredded, as the shredded consistency has the tendency to clump together when added to the pot.

★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!

Pin It

Pin3K

Share245

3K Shares

Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.

Categories: 30-Minute Meals, Entrées, Side Dishes

Estimated Nutrition Information

FOLLOW JUST A TASTE ON INSTAGRAM and show us what you’re cooking in your kitchen! Use the hashtag #justatasterecipes.