I can’t think of any other pasta recipe easier than this. And no, adding olive oil straight to just boiled pasta isn’t a recipe. This is the best, the saltiness and creaminess from the parmesan and just the right kick from black pepper. I’m surprised by how good a pasta dish without any sort of meat/proteins could be.
I had to YouTube ‘how to pronounce Cacio e Pepe’ and it was hilarious. I subconsciously made the hand gestures like how the Italians talk. It is also surprising to me how the dish sounds so much better if you pronounce it correctly, with the accent.
I used gnocchi, and I know gnocchi is not really a type of pasta, but that is the one I really love, also because I always buy potato in bulk but also always running out of time to eat it. I made a big batch of gnocchi and keep some in the freezer. When it was my lazy day, I just take some out and whip out this cacio e pepe recipe. Yes, almost every day is my lazy day!
Ingredients:
8 oz any type of pasta, I used gnocchi
2-3 tbsp of butter
1/3 cup of parmesan cheese -finely grated
7 full turns of freshly ground black pepper -about 1 tsp
Reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta water
Instructions:
- Cook the pasta according to instructions from the box, or if you use homemade pasta, aim for al dente.
- Meanwhile, in a frying pan over low heat, melt the butter, then add the ground black pepper and toast for a few minutes.
- Add the pasta and half of the pasta water into the pan, give it a good stir, then add parmesan evenly to the pan, leave the cheese to melt for about 30 seconds without stirring.
- Once the cheese is melted, toss everything well. Add the rest of pasta water (if needed) to loosen the sauce and make sure the pasta is well coated.
- Serve immediately with extra cracks of black pepper. Enjoy!