Cacio e Pepe
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Cacio e pepe, a classic Italian dish, relies on starchy pasta cooking water to form a creamy emulsion with butter and cheese, often Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino Romano, and it couldn’t be more delicious or simple. I like simple right now.
This one comes from YouTube star Laura Vitale, and her cookbook, Laura in the Kitchen, which is filled with recipes influenced by her southern Italian roots, and most especially, her nonna, who makes many a guest appearance on her show: Nonna’s stuffed peppers, Nonna’s stuffed calamari, Nonna’s spaghetti and clams. When Laura felt homesick after moving to the US at age 12, her nonna told her to “cook a pot of sauce,” which she did, and which instantly made her feel better. She’s been cooking ever since, and in 2009 launched her YouTube show, Laura in the Kitchen, which now includes over 850 cooking tutorials.
UPDATE: GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED: I have emailed you: Peg, Aaron, Peter, Anne and Nancy. Clarkson Potter generously passed along 5 copies of Laura in the Kitchen for the giveaway! Leave a comment to enter. Tell me your favorite easy thing to make right now.
Cacio e Pepe
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
Description
Source: Laura in the Kitchen by Laura Vitale
Note: I salted the water with 2 teaspoons of kosher salt because I was nervous about the finished dish being too salty since you use 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. I added more salt to taste at the end.
Ingredients
- 12 oz. dried spaghetti or linguini
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1 teaspoon freshly crack black pepper or more or less to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of generously salted (see notes above) water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook 2 minutes fewer than the package recommends. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water.
- Return the starchy cooking water to the pot. Add the butter and cheeses and cook over low heat until butter melts and cheese and water emulsify into a sauce. Add the pasta and pepper and toss to coat. Taste, adding more salt and pepper to taste. Remove pan from heat. Cover. Let stand for 1 minute, then serve.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
144 Comments on “Cacio e Pepe”
My very easy comfort food dish is fried potatoes and eggs. It works really well if I have leftover roasted potatoes-I just put them in a pan and warm them up and then scramble some eggs and put them over the potatoes. Done! It’s the dish I make when I’ve had a difficult day for whatever reason.
The photos of the littles warm my heart. So, so sweet! xo
PS. My favorite easy meal to make right now is anything breakfast-related. Now that Caroline is more mobile and curious about *everything*… scrambled eggs go with everything at any time of the day. 🙂
whole wheat pasta, broccoli, splash of olive oil, cheese and whatever spices were in the mood for.
Right now, my favorite is roast chicken. It’s not super quick, but it’s very hand’s-off, and there is at least one more dinner to be had from the leftovers – soup, rice pilaf with chicken, enchiladas…the possibilities are endless.
Right now, my go-to is Orangette’s chana masala [link no longer active … sorry] — great comfort food for everyone including our 2.5-year-old. But, *this* recipe is going in the rotation immediately.
Also, an aside: My wife and I used to live in Albany, and I love the upstate New York references. Thank you for peppering the posts with such great memories of our time there!!
Favorite quick dinner: Toast, smashed avocado with fresh lime juice and salt, topped with a fried egg. It’s delicious, super easy and involves very little clean up.
I bought a new dutch oven a few months ago so I’ve been making lots of soups in it. Mostly different vegetables with beans (canned to make it easy) added.
Leftover baked potatoes with anything leftover inside……………………..
Potato Soup- it comes together so quickly!! Grilled Cheese with fancy cheese and incredible bread is another favorite quick, but yummy lifesaver.
Tomato and Buratta “pizza”: i make a plain pizza crust in the oven using store-bought dough, then make a rustic salad of cherry tomatoes, and torn basil and burata– finish with a little salt and olive oil, and use the pizza bread for scooping up the salad.
My go to easy dinner is pasta with a quick spicy tomato sauce with sausage. I could eat this at least once a week and be happy!
I love this!!! I have been making this since I was a little girl. I never knew it was a real recipe. lol It is my comfort food!!! Thank you for letting me know this was a real recipe!! 🙂
My current easy favorite is steamed broccoli (or cauliflower), lightly salted, topped with toasted bread crumbs (in olive oil on the stove top), and a dollop of sour cream.
My favorite simple meal right now is pasta with greens and beans. Saute some kale, escarole, or spinach with garlic, add a can of drained/rinsed beans (I’ve been using white or red), and toss with pasta, olive oil, pecorino, and lemon zest. So easy, and so good.
My favorite easy thing to make is my morning breakfast smoothie!!! Yum. ?
My favourite thing right now to cook is stir-fry. It’s an easy way to use up stuff in the fridge and there are so many variations!
My favorite go-to-in-a-hurry food is a grilled cheese sandwich
Spaghetti with meat sauce. My four year old daughter and husband just love it!
I make a simple curry of onions, carrots, potatoes, curry, coconut milk and peanut butter served over rice
Comment!
1. Chickpea Sausage Stew-ish.
2. Nonna’s Purple Oatmeal.
Details to you Ali…
My hands down favorite is Danish Kale soup (much like Caldo Verde which I love and is so good and good for you !
This has become an instant favorite at our house – thank you!!
So happy to hear this, Heidi!