Roman Italian · Dinner

Cacio e pepe

Name: Cacio e pepe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Roman Italian
Ingredients: 12 ounces dried tonnarelli or spaghetti; 3 quarts water; 1 tablespoon kosher salt; 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns, coarsely crushed; 2 cups finely grated Pecorino Romano, at room temperature

Roman tonnarelli coated with a glossy emulsion of Pecorino Romano, toasted black pepper, and concentrated starchy pasta water—nothing more.

About 25 minTotal

About 25 minActive

$Cost

AdvancedDifficulty

Makes 4 servings

Equipment

Use another covered 12-inch oven-safe skillet or transfer before the oven finish.
Best large covered skillet
All-Clad D3 12-Inch Fry Pan with Lid · 41126
View at Amazon
Another workable path: Use another covered 12-inch oven-safe skillet or transfer before the oven finish.
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, Kwilt earns from qualifying purchases.
How we chose
Research-backed · reviewed Aug 2026
We matched the twelve-inch footprint, fitted lid, tri-ply heat distribution, 600°F oven and broiler rating, current model 41126 and UPC, ownership burden, and exact Amazon identity. Kwilt has not cooked with this pan.
All-Clad D3 12-Inch Fry Pan with Lid · 41126: Its twelve-inch cooking surface gives rice, shrimp, meat, and vegetables room to cook evenly, while the fitted lid and 600°F oven rating cover both the lidded stovetop method and the shepherd's-pie oven finish. Trade-off: It is a premium-priced pan, food can stick without sound preheating and fat control, and the long handle plus lid need more storage room than a basic skillet.
Another workable path: Use another oven-safe 12-inch skillet with a well-fitting lid; if the handle has a lower heat limit, transfer oven-finished food to a suitable baking dish.
Sources
All-Clad model 41126 specifications
Amazon exact product listing

Ingredients

1× recipe · Makes 4 servings

12 ounces dried tonnarelli or spaghetti
3 quarts water
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns, coarsely crushed
2 cups finely grated Pecorino Romano, at room temperature

Instructions

Boil pasta in 3 quarts water with the salt, stirring often so the water becomes starchy. Toast pepper in a over medium-low until fragrant, about 1 minute.
When pasta is 3 minutes shy of al dente, reserve 2 cups cooking water. Add 3/4 cup water to the pepper skillet and transfer pasta into it; simmer and toss until nearly al dente.
Let 1/2 cup pasta water cool for 1 minute, then whisk it gradually into 1 1/2 cups Pecorino in a bowl to make a smooth paste. Remove pasta skillet from heat and cool 30 seconds.
Add cheese paste in several additions, tossing vigorously and loosening with warm—not boiling—pasta water until creamy. Serve immediately with remaining Pecorino.

Rome, LazioRoman cooking traditions

From the table

About this recipe

Cacio e pepe is a Roman pasta built from Pecorino Romano, black pepper, pasta, and starchy cooking water; its apparent simplicity depends on temperature control so the cheese emulsifies instead of clumping.

Cacio e pepe is a Roman pasta defined by Pecorino Romano, black pepper, pasta, and starchy water. Butter, cream, and flour are not needed. The apparent simplicity makes temperature and cheese texture decisive: boiling water or direct heat can seize the proteins into strings and clumps. This Kwilt version follows the reviewed household adaptation: Keep the Roman four-element identity and translate recent emulsion evidence into explicit water volume, cooling, and staged cheese addition.

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