📍 Lazio

Cacio e pepe

Name: Cacio e pepe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 17 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: 200 g spaghetti or tonnarelli; 100 g finely grated pecorino romano; 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; Salt for the cooking water

· Lunch

Roman pasta with an emulsion of pecorino and black pepper.

Editorial content by WorldBites · 2026-10-04 · Contact

⏱ 17 min🍽 2 servings📊 Intermediate🏷 Commonly associated

Preparation: 5 min
Cooking: 12 min
Waiting and resting: 0 min

History

A Roman classic built around pasta, pecorino cheese and black pepper.

Ingredients

Adjust quantitiesServings

Only numeric quantities at the start of an ingredient are adjusted. Descriptive quantities, seasoning to taste and timings remain unchanged; check them when changing servings.

200 g spaghetti or tonnarelli
100 g finely grated pecorino romano
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt for the cooking water

Preparation

1
Cook the pasta in lightly salted water according to its package. Reserve 300 ml of cooking water before draining.
2
Toast the pepper in a dry pan for 30 seconds. Add 2 tablespoons of the pasta water.
3
Mix the cheese with a little lukewarm pasta water in a bowl to make a cream; very hot water can make it clump.
4
Add pasta to the pan, turn off the heat and stir in the cheese cream. Add water by the spoonful until glossy. Serve immediately.