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Cacio e Pepe · Classic

Cacio e Pepe (Cheese and Black Pepper Pasta)

2

Hands-free cooking

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Reading aloud

Before you start

Gather your ingredients

  • Swaps for kosher salt

    Instead of salt

    • Table salt or fine sea salt: About half as much as Diamond Crystal kosher, about ¾ as much as Morton kosher. The same saltiness when measured this way.
    • Salt by weight: 1 tsp is about 6 grams of table salt, 5 grams of Morton kosher, 3 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher. The most reliable way to swap, especially in baking and brines.

    More for salt

Step 1 of 9

Bring 8 cups of water to a
boil (how to boil) Boil Heat liquid until big bubbles rise and break all over the surface. 1. Use a pot big enough that the water fills it no more than three quarters.2. Cover it to boil faster, over high heat.3. Salt pasta or vegetable water once it boils.4. Add the food, stir, and bring it back to a boil before you start timing. Done when: A rolling boil keeps bubbling hard even when you stir. Safety: Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove, and drain pasta into a colander in the sink, pouring away from you. Steam burns fast: lift lids and foil away from your face, tipping the far edge up first.How to boil water for pasta and vegetables: mistakes to avoid
in a Dutch oven or wide pot and add the salt. Using less water than usual makes it starchier.

Step 2 of 9

Toast (how to toast) Toast Heat nuts, seeds, spices or bread crumbs in a dry pan or oven until fragrant and lightly browned. 1. Spread them in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, or on a sheet pan at 350°F.2. Shake the pan or stir often.3. Watch and smell: the moment they smell nutty, they are close.4. Tip them onto a plate right away; the hot pan keeps cooking them. Done when: They are fragrant and a shade darker. Small seeds take 1 to 3 minutes; nuts in the oven 5 to 10. How to toast nuts, seeds, spices and bread: mistakes to avoid
the pepper in a dry 12-inch skillet over medium heat until fragrant, then turn off the heat.

Step 3 of 9

Add the spaghetti to the
boiling (how to boil) Boil Heat liquid until big bubbles rise and break all over the surface. 1. Use a pot big enough that the water fills it no more than three quarters.2. Cover it to boil faster, over high heat.3. Salt pasta or vegetable water once it boils.4. Add the food, stir, and bring it back to a boil before you start timing. Done when: A rolling boil keeps bubbling hard even when you stir. Safety: Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove, and drain pasta into a colander in the sink, pouring away from you. Steam burns fast: lift lids and foil away from your face, tipping the far edge up first.How to boil water for pasta and vegetables: mistakes to avoid
water and cook, stirring often, until 2 minutes short of al dente.

Step 4 of 9

Scoop 1 cup of the pasta water into a measuring cup and let it cool slightly.

Step 5 of 9

Put the cheese in a bowl and stir in 1/4 cup of the slightly cooled pasta water to make a smooth, thick paste.

Step 6 of 9

Pour 1/2 cup more pasta water into the skillet with the pepper.

Step 7 of 9

Move the spaghetti into the skillet with tongs and cook over medium heat, tossing, until al dente and the liquid has
reduced (how to reduce) Reduce Simmer a liquid uncovered so water steams off and the flavor and body get stronger. 1. Use a wide pan; more surface means faster reducing.2. Bring the liquid to a lively simmer, uncovered.3. Stir now and then and scrape the sides back in.4. Look at the level against the pan, or dip a spoon to check thickness.5. Salt at the end, since salt gets stronger as it reduces. Done when: The level has dropped by the amount the recipe says, and it is glossy and coats a spoon. How to reduce a sauce: mistakes to avoid
by about half.

Step 8 of 9

Turn off the heat and wait so the pan is warm, not scorching.

Step 9 of 9

Add the cheese paste and toss quickly, adding splashes of the remaining pasta water, until a creamy sauce coats the noodles. Serve at once.

All done

Enjoy!

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Ingredients

  • Swaps for kosher salt

    Instead of salt

    • Table salt or fine sea salt: About half as much as Diamond Crystal kosher, about ¾ as much as Morton kosher. The same saltiness when measured this way.
    • Salt by weight: 1 tsp is about 6 grams of table salt, 5 grams of Morton kosher, 3 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher. The most reliable way to swap, especially in baking and brines.

    More for salt