Cacio e Pepe (Easy + Authentic)

Step 1

Toast whole peppercorns over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes to extract the oils. Transfer to a pepper grinder or mortar and pestle and grind to a medium coarse grind. Add back to your pan with the heat off.

Step 2

Cook your spaghetti (or pasta of choice) in lightly salted water. 2 minutes before the pasta is done, reserve 1 cup of pasta water and set on the counter to let cool to about 150F or 70C - this is the key to avoiding lumpy cheese! Adding pasta water straight from the pot is much too hot.

Step 3

While the heat is off, add 3/4 of your grated cheese to your peppercorns along with a 1/4 cup of the cooled pasta water at a time, stirring until you get a loose but emulsified sauce.

Step 4

Add your drained pasta and mix vigorously. At this point your pasta should start to absorb the sauce, but add additional pasta water and mix if the sauce is too thick. Continue mixing until you achieve the correct consistency (refer to video). Serve immediately and enjoy!