Cacio e Pepe

• servings: 6 servings
• total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

Salt

1 pound dried spaghetti, bucatini, or tonnarelli pasta

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon very coarsely ground black pepper

4 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, very finely grated (about 2 cups)

Directions

Step 1

Set a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Season generously with salt until it tastes like the summer sea. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Reserve 2 cups of the cooking water, then drain the pasta.

Step 2

Heat a large pan over medium heat and add enough olive oil to just coat the bottom. When it shimmers, add the pepper and cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add 3/4 cup of the pasta cooking water into the pan and let it boil — this will encourage an emulsion to form.

Step 3

Add the drained pasta to the hot pan, toss to coat the noodles, then sprinkle in all but a handful of the cheese. Use tongs to vigorously toss the pasta, adding more pasta water as needed to create a creamy sauce that clings to the pasta without clumping. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Garnish with the remaining cheese and more coarsely ground pepper and serve immediately.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: Serves 6
• Calories: 468 cal
• Total Fat: 14.7 g
• Saturated Fat: 8.0 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 0.0 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg
• Sodium: 635.3 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 58.8 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2.7 g
• Total Sugars: 2.3 g
• Protein: 24.0 g