Bucatini Cacio e Pepe

With a little twist on a classic Italian dish, this cacio e pepe recipe uses just 4 ingredients and can be prepared in under 20 minutes.

Course Pasta

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings

Calories 494kcal

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta to al dente and save 1 ½ cups of pasta water.
Heat freshly ground pepper in large skillet over medium heat until it is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 6 tablespoon butter and cook until melted, about 1 minute.
Once ready, add 1 cup of the reserved pasta water and bring to simmer. Remove from heat and add the pasta. Gradually add the cheese a little bit at a time, tossing to coat. Then add the remaining pasta water and last tablespoon of butter.
Top with some freshly grated cheese and pepper and serve immediately.

Make sure the water you are cooking the pasta in is salted as some of the flavor comes from it.
DO NOT overcook the pasta when boiling. You want it just al dente or slightly under. It continues to cook with the sauce.
Toasting the black pepper enhances the flavor, but can be skipped if you want. Speaking of pepper, only use freshly ground.
Don't use pre-shredded cheese. You want if finely grated so it melts well. Pre-shredded has added ingredients that will just make it clump up.
The butter can be omitted if you prefer. I like it as it adds some extra richness. You might need to add more pasta water to make up the difference.