Simple, Classic Bucatini Cacio E Pepe Recipe - Chowhound (2024)

Julianne De Witt/Chowhound

It's hard to go wrong with a pasta dish when you want to make something both easy and tasty, but a standard spaghetti in marinara sauce can start to feel stale after a while. This bucatini cacio e pepe could be the perfect solution to your weeknight dinners — it's quick, easy, requires only 5 ingredients, and makes the perfect introduction to Rome's most iconic pasta recipes. As recipe developer Julianne De Witt explains, the dish's cheesy, peppery flavors are actually found right in its name, as cacio e pepe translates quite simply in Italian to "cheese and pepper."

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One thing that's a little different about this 15-minute pasta recipe is the cooking method. "This pasta is cooked using the risottare, or risotto, method, where the pasta finishes cooking in the sauce,"explains De Witt. That said, it's very easy to do; you just remove the pasta from the boiling water before it's fully cooked and add it to the pan when the sauce is ready. "The pasta may be slightly stuck together when you add it to the saucepan, but it will release as you gently stir into the sauce,"De Witt encourages. "Ilove this recipe because it's so simple but delicious."

Julianne De Witt/Chowhound

You only need 5 ingredients for this recipe, and you likely have at least a few of them on hand. Check your kitchen for kosher salt, black peppercorns, bucatini pasta, butter, and pecorino Romano cheese before you get started.

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Julianne De Witt/Chowhound

Add water and salt to a large pot and bring to a boil.

Julianne De Witt/Chowhound

Meanwhile, place peppercorns in a small saucepan over medium heat. Swirl peppercorns around in the pan until lightly toasted and fragrant, about 1 minute.

Julianne De Witt/Chowhound

Using a mortar and pestle, crush the peppercorns. Set aside.

Julianne De Witt/Chowhound

Add bucatini to the boiling water and cook until halfway done, approximately 6 minutes.

Julianne De Witt/Chowhound

Reserve the pasta cooking water before draining the bucatini. Set both aside.

Julianne De Witt/Chowhound

In a large saucepan, melt the butter.

Julianne De Witt/Chowhound

Add 1 tablespoon crushed black pepper and stir.

Julianne De Witt/Chowhound

Add a large ladle of pasta water to the pan and bring to a simmer.

Julianne De Witt/Chowhound

Add the bucatini and move it around in the pan using tongs. Cook until al dente, adding more pasta water if necessary, about 3 minutes.

Julianne De Witt/Chowhound

Add pecorino and stir until fully melted and incorporated into the sauce.

Julianne De Witt/Chowhound

Serve immediately with more pecorino and pepper, if desired.

Julianne De Witt/Chowhound

While heartier pasta dishes like fettuccine alfredo, lasagna, or baked zitilend themselves to being main courses,bucatini cacio e pepe works every bit as well as a side dish as it does the main event. That said, its richness shouldn't be overlooked when deciding what to pair it with — the additions of butter and cheese help make for a filling side.

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For that reason, De Witt suggests pairing cacio e pepe pasta with lighter options, such as "grilled fish and a bright green salad with some crusty bread on the side." Classic grilled fish options might include orange roughy or grilled cod, and you could liven up a traditional green salad by making agreen bean and tomato panzanella option. And as far as crusty breads go, the sky is the limit. If you want to try making some from scratch, consider Italian, French, or focaccia loaves your first time around.

Julianne De Witt/Chowhound

The trick with simple recipes with limited ingredients is that the quality of each ingredient plays a major role in the recipe's final result. For that reason, it's best to follow the recipe precisely to garner the best results. That said, De Witt says out of the 5 ingredients in this cacio e pepe, the pasta is the one you can substitute if needed. "Ilike to use bucatini, a thicker pasta with a hole down the center that allows it to capture more of the cheesy sauce. If fettuccine or spaghetti is all you have on hand, it will make a fine substitute."

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Two areas where De Witt advises against cutting corners are with the recipe's flavor-makers: the cheese and pepper. "Pecorino Romano is a hard cheese made form sheep's milk. Its grainy texture makes it perfect for grating. I recommend a good-quality pecorino for this recipe,"she says. And while you may be tempted to pull out your pepper shaker from the cupboard to skip the steps where you toast and crush fresh peppercorns, it's best to stick to the recipe. "Toasting the peppercorns before crushing maximizes the flavor. The oils in the peppercorns are released, resulting in a smoky and spicier flavor. Ilike to use a mortar and pestle to crush the peppercorns so Ican control the coarseness, but a pepper mill can be used as well,"De Witt says.

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