Cacio e Pepe with Lemon Recipe (With Video and Step by Step Images)

Prep Time:

15 mins

Total Time:

25 mins

Servings:

2

This classic Italian pasta dish is one of the most elemental and elegant recipes you can make, and it's also one of the simplest. It translates to cheese and pepper, and the dish can be just that—pasta with Pecorino Romano cheese and freshly cracked black pepper.

Yes, it sounds simple, but even the simplest recipes can go wrong. The sauce can be thin and greasy or the cheese can clump rather than melt. The key is to add the Pecorino Romano at the end to prevent it from clumping, and to make the most of its sharp flavor. Lemon adds acidity and freshness.

Because cacio e pepe is so simple, the technique is important. From intentionally undercooking the pasta to adding the two cheeses at different times, follow our step-by-step guide to get a creamy, emulsified sauce coating each strand of pasta. It's totally irresistible—and a dish you'll pull out to impress guests for years.

Traditional Origins

Cacio e pepe is said to have originated in Roman times when shepherds took their pasta with them when they moved their sheep to pasture in the spring. They cooked the pasta during the spring and summer months with the cheese they made from their sheep's milk, which would have been a cheese similar to Pecorino Romano.

The Ingredients

This dish calls for minimal ingredients, but has maximum flavor. The classic version is cheese, pasta, and pepper. Our recipe adds a second type of cheese—plus a touch of butter and olive oil for a silkier sauce that doesn't clump, plus lemon for brightness.

Pasta: While some classic Italian pasta dishes can be made with a variety of noodles (Bolognese doesn't have to be paired with spaghetti, nor does carbonara), cacio e pepe should be made with either spaghetti or bucatini. This simple dish needs long, thin round noodles to coat.
Cheese: Some cooks prefer to simply toss hot pasta with Pecorino Romano in the age-old way, but our recipe adds Grana Padano. The Pecorino is used to finish the pasta while the Grana Padano is used for a creamy, silky pan sauce; it's a cheese that melts beautifully.
Lemon: We also up the ante by adding the brightness of lemon as a finishing touch. Any type of lemon will work, but a Meyer lemon is particularly nice in this dish. It has a sweeter flavor and aroma, with back notes of orange and lime.
Pepper: The other essential ingredient is plenty of freshly ground black pepper, which is where the pepe portion of the dish's name comes from.

Directions

pasta, cheese, butter, olive oil, pepper

Cook pasta:

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than called for in package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining.
Add butter and pasta water:

Transfer pasta to a 12-inch skillet (preferably nonstick). Add butter and 1/2 cup pasta water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. The heat helps the starch in the water meld with the fat from the butter, which prevents the Grana Padano from becoming stringy in the finished dish.
Add the Grana Padano cheese and pepper:

Reduce heat to low, and mix in Grana Padano and cracked pepper. Grana Padano is softer than Pecorino Romano; it will melt into the buttery water, creating a sauce as the pasta finishes cooking.
Toss pasta:

Toss pasta with tongs to thoroughly coat it with sauce. Keep everything at a gentle simmer just until cheese melts and sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute.
Add Pecorino Romano and lemon zest:

Remove from heat, then stir in Pecorino Romano. (Always add Pecorino off direct heat; it clumps when cooked.) Zest lemon over the pasta. Any type of lemon will do, but a Meyer is particularly nice in this dish: It's sweeter in flavor and aroma, with back notes of orange and lime.
Serve:

If pasta looks dry, toss it with a bit more pasta water until it has a glossy coating. Divide between 2 warm bowls. Drizzle each with oil and lemon juice, and garnish with more cracked pepper. Serve immediately.