Cacio e Pepe
Pasta with cheese & black pepper
Ingredients
- 400 g Spaghetti
- 200 g Pecorino Romano
- 2 tsp Black pepper
- 40 g Salt
Method
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Salt lightly — the cheese is salty enough.
- Crack the pepper coarsely.
- Grate the pecorino fine into a wide bowl.
- Drop the spaghetti and cook two minutes shy of al dente (firm to the bite).
- Toast the cracked pepper in a dry skillet for thirty seconds.
- Ladle a few spoonfuls of hot pasta water into the cheese and stir to a smooth paste.
- Reserve a generous mugful of pasta water, then drain the spaghetti.
- Tip the pasta into the skillet off heat with a splash of pasta water. Toss with the pepper.
- Add the cheese paste and toss vigorously, loosening with pasta water until glossy and creamy.
- Plate immediately with more pepper on top.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Cacio e Pepe
Cacio e pepe is the famously spare Roman pasta whose name simply means cheese and pepper, and whose short ingredient list hides real technique. It is one of the trio of classic Roman pastas alongside carbonara and amatriciana, and the most elemental of them, relying on nothing but spaghetti, sharp Pecorino Romano, coarsely cracked black pepper, and the starchy water the pasta cooks in. Get it right and it is silky and glossy; get it wrong and the cheese seizes into clumps, which is why it is often called the hardest easy pasta in Italy.
The whole dish turns on an emulsion. Starchy pasta water is stirred into finely grated pecorino to make a smooth paste, then tossed with the hot pasta off the heat so the cheese melts into a creamy sauce instead of scrambling against direct heat. Toasting the pepper first blooms its warmth and sharpens the whole plate. The result is intensely savory, peppery, and coating, proof that with the right method three ingredients can outshine a dish with twenty.
Cacio e Pepe: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Cacio e Pepe?
A serving has about 572 calories — 29.2g protein, 78.4g carbs, 15g fat, 3.6g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is it high in protein?
Each serving has about 29.2g of protein, roughly 20% of its calories.
Is Cacio e Pepe gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Spaghetti. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.
Is Cacio e Pepe dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Pecorino Romano. Swapping it for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
How long does Cacio e Pepe take to make?
About 20 minutes start to finish, but only around 11 of those are hands-on — the rest is cooking time. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
How many servings does Cacio e Pepe make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.