Pici, Cacio e Pepe

A close up of cacio e pepe with pici pasta on a plate with a fork

5 from 1 vote

How to make an authentic Cacio e Pepe sauce with just 3 ingredients! Served with Pici pasta, this recipe will give you all the tips you need to make a perfect, silky smooth, creamy and utterly cheesy sauce that you'll want to make again and again!

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Course: pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Calories: 615kcal

Author: Emily Wyper

Ingredients

1 lb pici pasta or other long pasta (450g)
2.5 cups Pecorino Romano DOP (200g)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Important - there are slightly different instructions depending on if you are using fresh or dried pasta. Dried pasta must be cooked at step 3 and fresh pasta cooked at step 7. This is a very quick recipe, read all instructions before starting.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil (use less pasta water than you normally would so it's extra starchy). Finely grate the pecorino and add it to a small mixing bowl, set aside.
If using dried pasta start boiling it now making sure to undercook it by 2-3 minutes.
Put the freshly ground pepper in a large dry pan on a medium heat, toast the pepper for a few seconds.
After a few seconds add ½ cup (roughly 120ml) of pasta water, let it simmer as the pasta is cooking.
Add a few ladles of pasta water to the pecorino cheese just a little at a time until it has the consistency of loose creamy paste ( a little thicker than heavy cream, it won’t be super smooth).
If using fresh pasta start boiling it now.
When the pasta is about 2 minutes away from being cooked, transfer it to the pan with the pepper using tongs and stir it for about 1 minute to release more starch.
Next, turn the heat down low and add the pecorino mixture. Stir it continuously until a smooth and creamy cheese sauce is created. It will look like it's going to split at first but keep stirring and it'll turn into a smooth and creamy sauce. Once you reach the saucy consistency turn the heat off and keep stirring for 1 more minute to let it thicken. Serve.

Video

Notes

Use tongs! - transfer the pasta from the water to the pan with tongs instead of draining the pasta. This will ensure you have just the right amount of water in the pan.
Stir, stir, stir! - when the pasta is off of the heat and you add the cheese mixture keep stirring continuously until the creamy cheesy sauce is created (just a minute or 2). It'll go through a stage at the beginning where it looks like it's going to split but don't worry just keep stirring and it comes together.
Storage & freezing - cacio e pepe is best served immediately, it won't reheat for freeze well.

Nutrition