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
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144 Comments on “Cacio e Pepe”
I love watching Laura and her hubby Joe.
My fave quickie is pesto. I always have some on-hand in my backyard growing in a big round pot and of course, what’s a kitchen without olive oil.?
This is going to be my new favourite thing!
Eggs in all their variety tends to be my go-to easy meal.
But spaghetti carbonara if I’m feeling luxurious.
Spaghetti with simple red sauce made with canned crushed tomatoes.
My favorite quick dinner is stir fry veggies, add a red curry sauce (Trader Joe’s) over rice! Even my kids love it!
My favorite quick thing to make (especially during the winter) is a one pan chicken pot pie quickly thrown together with rotisserie chicken and frozen pastry. It’s a bit of a cheat but my family loves it!
Costcos frozen french onion soup…..
Love to make savory oatmeal with a fried egg and avacado. So simple.
Love to make savory oatmeal with an egg and avocado. So simple.
What a wonderful, easy recipe. I will be trying this soon!
I have an easy one that takes just a few minutes to make. Chicken stock, tortellini, spinach, zest of one lemon and grated Parm/Reggiano on top. My family loves it.
I’m the wardrobe mistress for a ballet company and it’s Nutcracker time! I’m living on hard boiled eggs and avocados right now…….
I am in LOVE with your recipe for Pasta with Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce & Hot Italian Sausage! So simple and yet sooooo delicious. Have made it several times and it just keeps getting better and better!
Yummy, quick, and love the photos of the young cook too.
Favorite quickie holiday appetizer recipe which I love to serve to groups small and large is Bruschetta with Fig jam and Blue cheese:
Just toast 1/2″ thick slices of baguette, then top each with a dollop of fig jam and an equal size lump of blue cheese, sprinkle with chopped walnuts and stick under the broiler for a couple of minutes until the cheese gets bubbly, and serve immediately to rave reviews.
We’re enjoying lots of soup lately, utilizing my crockpot as much as I can at this hectic time of year. This recipe looks yummy! Happy Holidays to all!
Your mother’s peasant bread. Can’t stop baking it.
Favorite easy recipe: Turn on the broiler. Lightly brush a cast iron pan with olive oil. Place pan stovetop over high heat. Put in a tortilla. When it bubbles, flip it over. Turn down the the burner or turn it off. Sprinkle LIGHTLY a little monterey jack, a little crumbled feta, a few dabs of Mrs. Renfroe’s green jalapeno salsa. When sprinkling the cheese, cover the edges of the tortilla as best you can without adding too much cheese. Transfer to oven to the middle or lower rack. Broil until cheese bubble. Take out of oven, transfer to a plate, put a few slices of avocado with lime juice squeezed over, fold over the tortilla and serve. Make your dinner mate or mates begin without you as you make yours. Get everything ready before and this comes together in a couple of minutes.
Forgot to say that that child is very focused! And adorable.
Favorite easy thing to make is an open faced cheese-toasty. Toast and some dijon mustard topped with whatever cheese I have on hand – pop it in the toaster oven and have with a some tea and a side of christmas tunes.
A whatever-is-in-the-fridge quesadilla or burrito.
My favorite easy thing to make is linguini doused in oil and grated parmesan cheese and I roast broccoli in the oven for them to get their veggies! My 3 sons pounce on it like it’s their last meal.
My favorite thing to make right now is fajitas, I usually have frozen bell peppers or some fresh veggies in the fridge. A staple in my kitchen are onions and avocados so it’s a quick thing to make if I have either chicken or beef handy. I always have chicken breast handy.
Another easy and quick meal, hubby and I have it either for breakfast or dinner, is a Dutch baby! So easy to pop in the oven to bake while getting ready for work in the morning
My favorite simple dish is similar to this recipe: I make butter noodles, squeeze fresh lemon juice on them, and sprinkle with pepper. Love, love, love!
My favorite easy thing to make at the moment is a Chorizo, Spinach and Jalapeno skillet with farm fresh eggs!
Easy and delicious is your Canal House Chicken and Rice. It’s a favorite go to meal with great leftovers.
eggs or pasta
roasted veggies with a fried egg on top!
just seasoned black beans, cottage cheese, grape tomatoes and lots of pepper…sometimes a little Italian salad dressing but not really necessary..
A cheese quesadilla with guacamole spread over the top.
Fried eggs with toast or baked potato with a salad
Salmon, baked in a super hot oven (450), drizzled with melted butter or EVOO and topped with one of my favorite salmon seasonings:
1) Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Magic Salmon Seasoning. Delish!
2) William Sonoma’s Potlatch Seasoning for the same reason – super quick, and just perfect.
3) Penzey’s – Northwoods, or North Woods Fire
Actually, I love them all and always have them on hand! I put the salmon on a sheet pan, and at the other end of the pan, lay some asparagus spears drizzled with EVOO, S&P, and there you have nearly a whole meal, in a matter of minutes, with very little clean up!
My go to meal is a basic pasta dish with a tomato basil sauce and lots of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. I will add anything I have on hand; shrimp, veggies, hamburger or pork.