🍝 Cacio e pepe

Name: Cacio e pepe
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italy · Lazio
Ingredients: 400 g spaghetti; 150 g pecorino romano, finely grated; 2 tsp black peppercorns, coarsely crushed; Salt for the pasta water

Origin: Italy · Lazio

930kcal

per serving · 300 g

310kcal

per 100 g

39 gProtein13 g / 100 g

42 gFat14 g / 100 g

96 gCarbs32 g / 100 g

Cacio e pepe is a Roman pasta of just three ingredients: spaghetti or tonnarelli, finely grated pecorino romano and plenty of toasted black pepper. Starchy pasta water melts the cheese into a glossy, creamy sauce that clings to every strand — no cream or butter is needed. It is rich, sharp and peppery, and served at once while the sauce is silky.

Diets

✓

Vegetarianno meat or fish in a typical recipe

✓

No pork

Not veganbecause of: pecorino

Contains glutenbecause of: spaghetti

Contains dairybecause of: pecorino

Not keto32 g carbs per 100 g

Allergens

Contains (in a typical recipe):

⚠ Gluten ⚠ Milk

What it is made of

spaghettipecorinoblack pepper

Recipe

4 servings20 min

Ingredients

400 g spaghetti
150 g pecorino romano, finely grated
2 tsp black peppercorns, coarsely crushed
Salt for the pasta water

Method

Cook the spaghetti in lightly salted water until just al dente; save 300 ml of the cooking water.
Toast the crushed pepper in a large dry pan for 1 minute, then add a ladle of pasta water.
Mix the pecorino with a few spoons of warm (not boiling) pasta water into a smooth paste.
Move the pasta into the pepper pan off the heat, add the cheese paste and toss quickly, adding water until creamy. Serve immediately.

How to make it lighter

Weigh the pasta: 80 g dry per person instead of 100 g is a noticeable saving.
Pecorino is calorie-dense — 10 g is about 40 kcal, so grate it finely: it spreads further.
Serve a smaller plate with a big green salad or grilled vegetables on the side.

History

Cacio e pepe is one of the traditional pastas of Rome and the Lazio countryside; it is often linked to shepherds, who could carry dry pasta, aged pecorino and pepper without spoiling. Its exact origins are not documented, but it is a staple of Roman trattorias today.

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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →