Espaguetis Cacio y Pepe
Cook Time: 20 MINUTES
Serves: 2 PEOPLE
INGREDIENTS: 4
Ingredients
- 1 box Banza spaghetti
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Coarsely ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp butter
- ⅓ cup pasta water
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan and/or pecorino romano, plus additional for garnish
Directions
- Make Sauce: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Heat ¼ cup olive oil and 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper in a large high-sided pan over medium-low heat. Cook until pepper begins to sizzle, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and add butter.
- Cook Banza: Add Banza to pot with boiling water and cook according to package directions, drain, but do not rinse pasta.
- Toss Pasta: Once pasta is almost cooked, reserve ½ cup pasta water (from pot with Banza) and add 3 tbsp of that to the pan with olive oil. Strain pasta (again, no need to rinse!), and immediately add it to the pan with olive oil.
- Finish Pasta: Sprinkle over cheese and 1 tbsp olive oil and using tongs, gently toss to coat until cheese is completely melted. Add a little more pasta water to adjust creaminess, reheating over very low heat as necessary, until the sauce is creamy and coats each strand of spaghetti. Garnish with more cheese and fresh cracked pepper.
Tips
• When cheese is freshly grated vs. pre-grated it smooths out faster once melted into sauce. If you have the time, grate it on the smaller holes of a box grater yourself for added smoothness.
• For a touch of acid, garnish with lemon zest and a squeeze of juice to taste.
