Name: Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 22 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 360 g tonnarelli; 200 g pecorino romano; 0 black pepper; 0 salt

Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe

The purest expression of Roman cooking: square-cut tonnarelli tossed in a glossy sauce built from nothing but pecorino romano, black pepper, and starchy pasta water.

🥬Vegetarian

🇮🇹 Italy ·Europe · $

10 min Prep

12 min Cook

22 min Total

4 portions

Cacio e pepe is one of the cornerstone pasta dishes of Rome and the Lazio region, born from the simple pantry of shepherds who carried aged cheese and peppercorns. The authentic version uses only three things: pecorino romano DOP, freshly cracked black pepper, and the pasta itself. There is no cream and no butter in the purist Roman preparation; the silky, clinging sauce comes entirely from emulsifying finely grated pecorino with hot, starchy pasta water. Tonnarelli, a fresh square-section egg pasta also known as spaghetti alla chitarra, is the classic shape because it releases extra starch and grips the cheese beautifully. The whole skill of the dish lies in tempering the pecorino so it melts into a creamy emulsion instead of seizing into rubbery clumps. Master the temperature and the timing, and three humble ingredients turn into something restaurant-worthy.

Ingredients

360 g tonnarelli or spaghetti / spaghetti alla chitarra

200 g pecorino romano DOP, very finely grated

0 black pepper to taste, freshly cracked and toasted; about 2 to 3 tsp

0 salt to taste, for the pasta water; use sparingly as pecorino is salty

Ingredients

4 portions

360 gtonnarelli or spaghetti / spaghetti alla chitarra

200 gpecorino romano DOP, very finely grated

black pepper to taste, freshly cracked and toasted; about 2 to 3 tsp

salt to taste, for the pasta water; use sparingly as pecorino is salty

Instructions

Prepare the cheese and pepper

1

Grate the pecorino romano as finely as possible into a wide bowl and set aside. A fine grate melts smoothly and is the best defense against clumping.
2

Crack the black peppercorns coarsely in a mortar or under a heavy pan so the grind is uneven, not a fine powder.
~2 min

Toast the pepper and cook the pasta

1

Bring a pot of water to a boil and salt it lightly, using less salt than usual because the pecorino is already very salty. Add the tonnarelli and cook.
2

While the pasta cooks, toast the cracked pepper in a wide dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, stirring constantly, then add a ladle of the starchy pasta water and let it bubble for a few seconds before lowering the heat.
~2 min

Build the pecorino cream

1

Ladle a little hot pasta water into the grated pecorino, letting it cool for 20 to 30 seconds first so it is hot but not boiling. Stir quickly and vigorously with a fork, as if beating eggs, adding water a splash at a time until you have a smooth, thick cream with no lumps.

Combine and finish

1

Drain the pasta about 2 to 3 minutes before the package time, reserving plenty of cooking water, and transfer it to the pepper skillet. Toss for a minute or two with a splash of pasta water so it finishes cooking and coats in the pepper.
~2 min
2

Take the skillet off the heat and let it rest for about 20 seconds to drop the temperature. Pour in the pecorino cream and toss continuously with tongs, loosening with a little more pasta water if needed, until the sauce turns glossy and clings to every strand.
3

Serve immediately, finishing each plate with extra grated pecorino and a final crack of black pepper.

Credits & Inspiration

Scatti di Gusto
Roman original from fresh-made tonnarelli through the final pecorino mantecatura.
Giallo Zafferano (Tasty Corner)
Original Italian recipe from Rome with precise pecorino and pepper ratios and timing.
Gran Consiglio della Forchetta
Italian-language traditional recipe using the risotto method to concentrate starch for creaminess.
Italian Recipe Book
Tonnarelli-specific recipe detailing the pasta water emulsion and coarse pepper grind.
Recipes from Italy
Authentic Roman method with quantities and the cheese-tempering technique, no cream or butter.