There are many variations of spaghetti cacio e pepe recipe: some people use macaroni or rigatoni, but the ideal pasta is tonnarelli, a type of spaghetti made with egg pasta, but square instead of round, ideal for absorbing the creamy fresh pecorino.
Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe Original Recipe
Ingredients for 4 servings
Time 20 mins
Ingredients
12 oz spaghetti
5 oz fresh pecorino romano cheese
salt
black pepper
Method
Grate 4 oz pecorino cheese and place in a large frying pan, then grind a generous dose of black pepper over the top.
Boil lightly salted water (half of what you would usually put in as the pecorino cheese is salty), and add the pasta.
Pour two ladles of the cooking water into the pan with the cheese and mix to obtain a creamy sauce.
Drain the spaghetti (al dente) and save a few ladles of the cooking water. Put the pasta in the pan with the sauce, turn the heat to very low and mix well, adding a little of the hot water put to one side as needed. Serve hot and garnish with remaining grated pecorino and a hefty pinch of black pepper.