Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe has simple, but important steps to achieve authentic taste and texture. No butter or cream is used, just Pecorino Romano cheese and freshly ground black peppercorns. Tonnarelli pasta is classic, but plain spaghetti works wonderfully, too. Start with a classic Caesar salad and finish the meal with homemade tiramisu for an Italian feast you won't soon forget.
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🧀 The Ingredients
There aren't a lot of steps in this recipe, and there are even fewer ingredients, but they are all so important. This is one of those dishes that is worth it to seek out top-notch ingredients, which usually calls for a little planning.
✍🏻 Notes on the Ingredients
- Coarse Sea or Kosher Salt - You'll need this to add to the water for boiling the pasta. You'd normally add twice this amount to the water, but Pecorino Romano is a fairly salty cheese, so half the amount is just right.
- Pasta - Long tubular pasta is what you want. Spaghetti or bucatini is commonly used, but if you can find it (or order it online), then go with tonnarelli.
- Pecorino Romano - This cheese is made from sheep's milk and is used in authentic Cacio e Pepe. Seek out high-quality, if possible. The more aged the better. You can usually find this at Italian specialty markets or online.
- Black Pepper - For the best results, toast whole peppercorns until fragrant and then crush them with a mortar and pestle.
Expert Tip
The best way to cook with Pecorino Romano is to buy it in block form and then use the small grate holes in a box grater to grate the cheese. You'll need about 7 to 8 ounces. This may seem like a lot, but you'll use almost all of it, if not all.🍽️ How To Serve
- This dish is absolutely best when served right after being tossed with pasta water, cheese, and pepper.
- It makes for a wonderful appetizer or "primi" dish. Just before a wonderful main dish, or "secondi" dish, such as Italian pot roast, lemon chicken piccata, or seared haddock agrodolce.
- WINE PAIRING: Cacio e Pepe pairs wonderfully with red, white, and/or rosé. For white, a nice Pinot Grigio is our 1st choice. For red, Pinto Noir or Cabernet. For Rosé, we love Whispering Angel.
🔥 How To Store and Reheat
- While this dish is best served fresh from the skillet, leftovers will still be tasty.
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container with a lid in the refrigerator for up to several days.
- Reheat in a skillet over medium heat. You'll need to add several splashes of broth (chicken or vegetable) to loosen the sauce.
🙋🏽♂️ Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best pasta for Cacio e Pepe?
Traditional is tonnarelli. But you'll need to seek out an Italian food market to find them or order online. Regular spaghetti is a great substitute.
Do the peppercorns need to be toasted for Cacio e Pepe?
You will still have a delicious dish if you don't toast the peppercorns before crushing them. However, toasting deepens the flavor. Pepper is one of the few (but key) ingredients, so going the extra step pays off.
Why isn't my Cacio e Pepe creamy?
Keep stirring and gradually add in pasta water with the grated cheese until you get the right saucy consistency. This dish isn't an overly creamy sauce, like Creamy Shrimp Alfredo with Fettuccini.
🍝 Other Classic Italian Pasta Recipes
Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe
Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe is a popular Roman dish that is made from just 4 ingredients, including salt. Going with top-notch ingredients is key. Plan ahead of time. See out a high-quality Italian market or order online. Print Pin Rate Servings: 6 Calories: 478kcalInstructions
Do Ahead
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the whole peppercorns and stir gently until they become aromatic, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. ½ cup black peppercorns
- Add to a mortar and pestle and grind them until they become powdery and grey in color, about 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside.
Prepare the Cacio e Pepe
- Bring a large pot of boiling water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoon of coarse salt. 2 tablespoon coarse sea salt
- Add the pasta to the water. Stir to keep the pasta from sticking together. A couple of minutes before the pasta becomes al dente, place your pasta bowl over the pot. (This heats the pasta bowl and helps to make a creamy sauce). 14 oz pasta
- Use kitchen towels to remove the pasta bowl and check the pasta to make sure it's cooked to al dente.
- Drain the pasta but save the water.
- Add the pasta to the warmed pasta bowl. Working in batches, add the cheese and ladle in some pasta water, stirring everything together constantly. 10 oz Pecorino Romano
- Add about 2 tablespoon of the ground pepper and keep stirring until the cheese and water create a creamy sauce that clings to the pasta. If too runny, add more cheese. If too thick, add more pasta water.
- Serve immediately with additional ground pepper tableside.
Notes
NOTE: Watch the video near the top of the recipe for visual guidance.
Dried spaghetti or bucatini are perfectly acceptable substitutions for the tonnarelli.
Be sure to grate the cheese with the small holes on your box grater, not the larger shredding holes. This helps to make the perfect sauce.
This dish is definitely best served right after tossing together. You can reheat with the addition of more pasta water. (Keep some on hand in case you have leftovers.)
We don't recommend freezing this dish.
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