Creamy Cacio e Pepe Pasta

Name: Creamy Cacio e Pepe Pasta
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 12 ounces dried pasta; 5 tablespoons butter; 2 teaspoons medium-coarse ground black pepper; Kosher salt; 2 cups (lightly packed) very finely grated pecorino Romano cheese

15 mins prepServes 4

Cacio e pepe rewards good technique, and I have it down: grated pecorino Romano cheese, freshly ground black pepper, and butter emulsify with starchy pasta water into a glossy, peppery sauce — the whole thing comes together in just a few minutes once your pasta's cooked.

4 servings

What you need

12 oz short pasta, such as bucatini or spaghetti, preferably bronze-cut

5 tbsp butter, salted or unsalted

2 tsp coarse black pepper, refer to the photo above for an example

1 kosher salt

2 cup pecorino romano, grated with a rasp grater or the smallest holes on a box grater; at room temperature

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Instructions


0 Bring 3-4 quarts of water to a boil in a pot. Add 2 tablespoons kosher salt.
2 Cook [wprm-ingredient text="12 ounces dried pasta" uid="3"] until it&#39;s a few minutes shy of al dente, about 8-10 minutes depending on the cut. Scoop out 1½ cups of the starchy water about halfway through cooking, allowing it to cool to warm for a few minutes. Drain the pasta in a colander.
1 Meanwhile, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in the wide (10-12-inch) skillet over low heat. Add 1½ teaspoons of the pepper, 1½ cups of the cheese and 1 cup of the pasta water. Stir the sauce frequently until the sauce smooths out - be sure not to let the mixture get too hot to avoid clumps. Remove the pan from the heat.
3 Add the drained pasta to the skillet. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and toss with tongs, quickly and thoroughly, until the pasta is coated and the sauce thickens. Dribble in a little more of the reserved water, if needed.
4 Portion into bowls and serve immediately. Sprinkle each serving with some of the remaining pepper and cheese.

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Creamy Cacio e Pepe Pasta

What you need

Instructions

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