1U.S. cupslong pasta noodles(spaghetti, spaghettoni, or bucatini)
1pinchessalt(Mediterranean sea salt)
6ozhard Italian cheese(Pecorino Romano, Grana Padano, and/or Parmigiano-Reggiano)
0.2ozblack pepper
Instructions
Boil the pasta
Bring a generously salted pot of water to a rolling boil.
Add the pasta to the pot. Cook the noodles, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes less than the recommended cooking time in the instructions on the package.
Make the cacio e pepe sauce
Finely grate a wedge of hard Italian cheese in a bowl.
Add ½ soup ladle of pasta water to the bowl and mix it together with the finely-grated cheese, using a fork or whisk, until it becomes uniform. Set aside.
On your cooktop, preheat a frying pan on medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes.
Crack a hefty amount of black peppercorn in the hot pan. Let the freshly-cracked black pepper heat for 30 seconds, until you can smell its pungency in the air.
Add ½ soup ladle of pasta water to the frying pan, drowning the black pepper in it.
Toss the pasta with the cacio e pepe sauce
Bring down the heat to low. If your pan is too hot as you pour the cheese sauce, the proteins in the cheese will clump. Allow your pan 15-20 seconds to cool down.
Transfer the pasta noodles to the pan and pour the cheese sauce from the bowl on it. Stir and toss to incorporate the ingredients.
Cook the pasta in the sauce, stirring and tossing often, for 60-90 seconds.
Plate the pasta. Grate some more hard Italian cheese on it, crack a little more black pepper on top of it, and serve.
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 300gCalories: 476kcal
Keyword bucatini, cacio e pepe, dried pasta, dried pasta nests, fresh pasta, pasta, pecorino romano, roman, roman pasta