Make Delicious Brown Butter Cacio e Pepe Pasta in 20 Minutes

Photo byLand O'Lakes

This delicious traditional pasta is a quick, easy dinner that you can pull together in about 20 minutes. In Italian, Cacio e Pepe translates as "Cheese and Pepper" and the dish dates all the way back to ancient Rome. Because there are so few ingredients--just pasta, brown butter, Romano cheese, and pepper--it's also very inexpensive to make.

While this recipe is usually made with long pasta, you can prepare it with any type you like. The key is the freshly cracked black pepper, which gives the sauce a kick and contrasts with the creamy cheese flavor. The brown butter adds a nutty taste and makes the sauce even silkier, while the pasta water acts as a natural thickener.

Like many pasta recipes, this one is incredibly versatile. If you're not a spice person, reduce the amount of pepper according to your taste. For a more tangy flavor, top the pasta with fresh-squeezed lemon juice and a sprinkling of zest. To make the dish heartier, add sauteed summer vegetables, cut-up rotisserie chicken or grilled shrimp. Or if you want a less sharp flavor, substitute Parmesan for the Romano cheese.

The trickiest part of making Cacio e Pepe is browning the butter. Heat it slowly over medium to low heat. Butter can turn from a beautiful golden brown to burnt quickly, so keep an eye on it and stir it constantly. I also recommend cutting the butter into squares because that helps it melt more evenly.

Brown Butter Cacio e Pepe

Ingredients

1 pound dry long pasta of your choice

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper

4 ounces (2 cups) finely grated Pecorino-Romano cheese

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente, following package instructions. Reserve 2 cups of pasta cooking water. Drain pasta and set aside.

2. Melt the butter on medium heat in a large skillet. Stir constantly, keeping an eye on it.

3. Reduce heat to low when butter turns golden brown and has a nutty aroma. Stir in the black pepper. Add 1 cup of the reserved pasta water and cook for about 1 minute.

4. Add the grated romano cheese, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly until the sauce is creamy and cheese is fully melted.

5. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss to combine. Add more pasta water if necessary, 1/4 cup at a time.

6. Serve with extra ground black pepper and Romano cheese (optional).

Notes

Be careful not to over fill your pasta pot with water--the starchier the pasta water, the creamier your sauce will be.

Don't rinse your pasta after draining it. This will help the sauce adhere to the pasta and absorb the flavor more thoroughly.