Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe Main Course Recipe

Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe (cacio cheese and pepper) is a traditional pasta recipe from Rome. Super creamy and full of taste, this recipe involves just a few ingredients to prepare a main course that will satisfy all the family and friends!

The term cacio refers to pecorino cheese used for this recipe. The word Cacio, in fact, comes from the latin word caseus which in English can be translated with casein, the milk protein present in cheeses. The type of cheese used for Cacio e Pepe is Pecorino Romano DOP, a cheese full in flavour, slighlty salty and incredibly creamy!

Cacio e pepe sauce gives its best when paired with long shaped pasta, like spaghetti, bucatini and pici, that can easily capture the creamy cacio e pepe emulsion.

250g of Spaghetti

200g of grated Pecorino Romano DOP

Ground black pepper - to taste

Grated Parmigiano Reggiano DOP - to taste

Bring a large sauce pan to a boil and add an handful of coarse see salt. Cook until al dente (check the recommended cooking time of the pack of pasta, and if you like your pasta al dente, drain it a couple of minutes earlier. We always recommend to taste a couple of spaghetti before draining them!)

In the meantime, prepare the cacio e pepe sauce. Grate 200g of Pecorino Romano DOP and place it into a serving bowl. Add the ground pepper. When the pasta is almost cooked and it has released abundant starch into the water, add a couple of spoons of boiling water to the grated cheese and pepper. Mix and stir constantly until you obtain a smooth and creamy emulsion, enough to coat your pasta. 

Drain the pasta and add it to the bowl with the creamy cheese sauce. Toss firmly to coat the spaghetti. Add some grated Parmigiano Reggiano to taste before serving.

Serve piping hot and...Buon Appetito!!