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Cacio e Pepe Pasta — Water, Cheese and Black Pepper
Pasta & Rice

Cacio e Pepe Pasta — Water, Cheese and Black Pepper

Cacio e pepe pasta — the simplest, most elegant Roman pasta. Just three ingredients make a creamy, deep sauce.

⏱ 20 min🍽 4 servings 🌍 Mediterranean👩‍🍳 Afoona🧩 2 parts

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Cooked pasta

  1. 1
    Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water (4¼ cups of water and a heaping teaspoon of salt for every 4 oz of pasta), following the package directions (taste about 2 minutes early), until al dente.
    ⚙ Cooking in salted waterStovePot
    💡The water should taste like a seasoned soup, not like sea water: a heaping teaspoon of salt per liter. Add the salt once the water is boiling.
  2. 2
    Reserve cup of the cooking water before draining.
    ⚙ Saving the cooking waterLadleorMeasuring cup
    💡The cooking water is starchy: a spoonful or two binds the sauce to the pasta or the gnocchi and makes it glossy.
  3. 3
    Drain.
    Colander

To assemble

  1. 4
    Toast the black pepper in a dry skillet over medium heat about 2 minutes, stirring, until it is fragrant.
    ⚙ Dry-Pan ToastingStoveFrying pan
    💡Toast over medium heat and keep things moving: nuts, pine nuts and spices go from toasted to burnt in seconds. Transfer to a plate right away, since the hot pan keeps toasting.
  2. 5
    Pour a little of the cooking water into the pan, transfer the drained pasta to it and toss.
    Stove
  3. 6
    Turn off the heat and gradually add the olive oil and the cheese, tossing quickly and adding more cooking water, until the cheese melts into a creamy sauce that coats the pasta.
  4. 7
    Serve immediately with extra grated cheese on top.
506calories
20 gprotein
72 gcarbs
14 gfat
● protein 16%● carbs 58%● fat 26%

Per serving (130 g), of 4 servings

For the Cooked pasta · To assemble ·

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⚖ About the ingredients

🔧 Tools needed (5) · 🍳 2 cooking vessels

  • Stove · 💡 Workaround, changes the dish: Portable hot plate (one weaker burner) · Camping gas stove (One burner, outdoors) · Electric pressure cooker (multicooker) (One pot, no real shallow frying)
  • Frying pan · Also works: Wok (None) · 💡 Workaround, changes the dish: Pot (High sides, slow evaporation and weak browning)
  • Pot · Also works: Deep skillet (sauté pan) (less liquid, faster evaporation) · 💡 Workaround, changes the dish: Wok (For quick cooking)
  • Colander · Also works: Lid (a lid held slightly open over the sink, you lose a little) · Slotted spoon (for small amounts)
  • Ladle or Measuring cup · one of them

By the steps, as the recipe is built now: another version or addition can change the list.

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