I’ve wanted to learn how to make cacio e pepe for a long time. It’s simple, yet a little overwhelming as sometimes such simple recipes don’t leave much room for error. But bucatini cacio e pepe is the type of recipe that once you’ve made it a few times, it will become a favorite. You don’t need many ingredients, it’s ready in 20 minutes, and tastes SO good. Much like my bay scallop linguine, chicken broccoli ziti, and penne pomodoro, this cacio e pepe pasta is worthy of a date night at home, but is also incredibly simple to make.
I’m going to walk you through the steps and share some tips. So let’s give this easy cacio e pepe bucatini a try! And if you’re looking for other date-night-at-home recipes, try my air fryer lobster or air fryer salmon.
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Table of Contents
- Bucatini Cacio e Pepe Video
- What Is Bucatini Cacio e Pepe?
- What You’ll Love About Bucatini Cacio e Pepe
- Cacio e Pepe Pasta Ingredients
- How to Make Cacio e Pepe
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Storage Instructions
- What to Serve with Cacio e Pepe Recipe
- More Easy Pasta Recipes
- Helpful Tools to Make Cacio e Pepe Pasta
Bucatini Cacio e Pepe Video
What Is Bucatini Cacio e Pepe?
Cacio e pepe literally translates to cheese and pepper. And that’s exactly what it is! Pasta is coated with a smooth and creamy cheese sauce and plenty of freshly ground pepper. I liken it to mac & cheese for adults – it’s the type of meal that can be thrown together in 20 minutes, and is made with just a handful of ingredients that you probably have on-hand.
It’s one of Italy’s oldest pasta dishes and for good reason – it’s hearty, it’s easy, and it’s made with just a few ingredients.
What You’ll Love About Bucatini Cacio e Pepe
- Smooth and creamy flavor
- Chewy pasta
- A little spice
- Made in 20 minutes
- Made with just 4 ingredients
- Great pantry meal, but also fancy enough for a nice meal
Cacio e Pepe Pasta Ingredients
This recipe for cacio e pepe is made up of just 4 simple ingredients:
- Bucatini Pasta – Pasta for cacio e pepe varies, but I’ve used bucatini and love how the sauce clings to the thick noodles.
- Butter – Use a high quality butter for best flavor.
- Black Pepper – Because you want fresh pepper and bigger pieces of pepper, you’ll need to use freshly ground.
- Pecorino Romano Cheese – This is a must for authentic cacio e pepe. I originally assumed it was made with Parmesan, but it’s not!
How to Make Cacio e Pepe
While this bucatini alla cacio e pepe has an important method, don’t let it overwhelm you, it’s simple! Here’s how we make it:
- Shred cheese. If you’re cheese isn’t shredded yet, start here as the sauce comes together really quickly. Use a microplane zester or small shredder as you want airy shreds of cheese so it can easily melt into the sauce.
- Cook pasta. In a large pot of water, boil bucatini according to al dente directions, but take out 2 minutes early as we’re going to finish cooking it in the cacio e pepe sauce. (Salt your cooking water!)
- Reserve pasta water. YOU MUST RESERVE 2 CUPS OF THE PASTA WATER before you drain the pasta.
TIP: The pasta water is a starchy liquid that is sort of magic when it comes to the best pasta. The starches helps thicken the sauce, but it also helps emulsify butter and oil-based sauces.
- Toast pepper. Melt butter in a large skillet. When it foams, add freshly ground pepper and toast the pepper while swirling the pan.
- Mix sauce. Add 1 cup of the cooking liquid along with the rest of the butter to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat, add pasta to skillet. Start sprinkling in Pecorino Romano cheese, stirring and tossing mixture with tongs until the sauce is smooth. Add more pasta water if pasta mixture feels dry.
- Serve. Serve black pepper pasta in pasta bowls with additional shredded cheese and pepper to taste.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you pronounce cacio e pepe?
I’m not going to lie, cacio e pepe pronunciation was REALLY hard for me! It took a ton of practice. (I’m serious.)
Phonetically, it’s pronounced [kaˈtʃo e ˈpeːpe] but I think it’s best to listen to the pronunciation here.
What does cacio e pepe mean?
Cacio e pepe means cheese and pasta.
What pasta to use for cacio e pepe?
Long noodles work best for cacio e pepe. I’m partial to bucatini, as I’ve used here as they are thick and chewy, but you could also use spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine.
Can I use Parmesan cheese for cacio e pepe?
You can use Parmesan cheese in cacio e pepe pasta ….but Pecorino Romano is the traditional cheese and is preferred as it has a stronger flavor. I tried both and while Parmesan will work, we liked it better with Pecorino Romano.
Why is my cheese clumping?
There are a few things you can do to ensure your cacio e pepe doesn’t end up clumpy:
- Cheese shreds are too big – Using a microplane zester is recommended as it has will create very fine shredded cheese. This is also why you have to grate it yourself. Pre-grated cheese is much too large.
- Don’t add all the cheese at the same time – Sprinkle in the cheese to pasta mixture and mix in until combined before adding another handful.
- Keep mixing – Toss pasta and cheese sauce mixture until it’s smooth.
- Turn down heat – If the pasta water mixture is TOO hot, it can cause the cheese to seize.
Storage Instructions
Cacio e pepe is best eaten fresh. If you have leftovers (I doubt this, ha!), store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
How to reheat
Reheat in a skillet for best results. The cheese sauce may be a bit clumpy, but it will still taste great.
Can you freeze cacio e pepe pasta?
Freezing cacio e pepe is not recommended as the cheese sauce will get clumpy during freezing and thawing process.
What to Serve with Cacio e Pepe Recipe
Wondering what to serve with cacio e pepe? It’s usually the type of meal I serve on its own, but if you want to include a side, I’d serve it with veggies or salad:
More Easy Pasta Recipes
If you like this bucatini cacio e pepe recipe, you might also like some of these other easy pasta recipes:
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Helpful Tools to Make Cacio e Pepe Pasta
- 12″ Skillet – You need to use a large skillet so you’ve got plenty of room to toss the pasta in the sauce.
- Microplane Zester – Using a microplane zester is a must as you need the Pecorino Romano cheese
Bucatini Cacio e Pepe Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Skillet
- Cuisine: Pasta
Description
Learn how to make bucatini cacio e pepe pasta! I’m sharing helpful tips and a step-by-step guide so your cacio e pepe turns out perfectly.
Ingredients
- 12 oz. bucatini pasta
- 1/4 cup butter, divided
- 2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- black pepper and pecorino for serving
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions, but take out 2 minutes before it’s done. RESERVE 2 cups of pasta water.
- Meanwhile, melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet. Add freshly ground pepper and toast until fragrant, swirling pan, for about 1 minute.
- Add 1 cup of the reserved pasta water and remaining 2 tablespoons butter to skillet and simmer. Reduce heat to low and add pasta to the skillet. Sprinkle in Pecorino romano cheese, stirring and tossing mixture together with tongs, until a smooth sauce forms. Add more reserved pasta water if mixture seems dry.
- Serve with additional cheese and black pepper to taste.
Keywords: bucatini cacio e pepe, how to make cacio e pepe, cacio e pepe pasta, cacio e pepe recipe
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Photo Credit: All photos in this post were take by Loren at Sweet Rustic Bakes
LML
Cacio e Pepe translates to cheese and pepper, not cheese and pasta.
Emily
You are so right, I think (hope!?) that was a typo that I will edit. Thanks for letting me know.
Julie
We ate it all. So good and easy! Thank you!
★★★★★
Emily
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Julie.