The Power of Three: How to Make Rome’s Iconic Cacio e Pepe with Just Cheese, Pepper, and Pasta

Even though the Italian cuisine mostly includes those dishes that are pretty easy to make at home, some of the most famous tastes are difficult to achieve. This also concerns the iconic cacio e pepe pasta that has long been the feature dish of the Italian capital expanding its popularity across the world.

However, some recipes actually keep the secret to the right authentic cacio e pepe you won’t have to travel to Italy for — here’s one of those.

Ingredients: 200 g of spaghetti, 1/2 tsp of black pepper, 50 g of Pecorino Romano or Parmesan, 3 tbsp of olive oil, 20 g of butter, salt.

Heat a deep saucepan over medium heat and fry the coarsely ground black pepper in it for about a minute, then remove it from the heat and set it aside.

Cook the spaghetti in salted water according to the package instructions until al dente, scoop out a cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the rest of the water. Add olive oil, butter, and the spaghetti to the saucepan.

Pour in about 50 ml of water, sprinkle the pasta evenly with finely grated cheese, keeping a little aside for garnish, and use tongs or a wooden spatula to energetically stir the contents of the saucepan. The goal is to blend all the liquid ingredients into a smooth, velvety sauce, and for this to happen, the pasta and the water it was cooked in must be hotter than the saucepan; otherwise, the cheese will stick to it.

If the sauce turns out too thick, add a little more water and stir for another couple of minutes until you achieve the perfect consistency, one that coats every strand of spaghetti. Immediately divide the pasta among plates and serve, sprinkling a little more grated cheese and ground pepper on top.