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A serving of Pasta Cacio e Pepe on a grey lined plate sitting on a brown table.
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Pici Cacio e Pepe

This Pici Cacio e Pepe is the perfect date night in meal. Making the homemade Pici Pasta with your honey is very entertaining. Eating it though, with the luxurious cheese and pepper sauce is absolutley divine. It's like eating a 5 star meal at home.
Course Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Cacio e Pepe, Pici Cacio e Pepe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 632kcal
Author Heather

Ingredients

  • 1 batch Pici Pasta
  • 2 tbsp crushed black pepper
  • 3 cups finely grated Pecorino Romano
  • 1 3/4 cup pasta water *3/4 cup added to toasted pepper and 1 cup added at the same time as cheese.

Instructions

  • Hand roll Pici Pasta and set aside.
  • Crush pepper, grate cheese and bring a large pot of water (approximately 5 qts) to a rapid boil. Once boiling add about 3-4 tbps of sea salt.
  • Add Pici to boiling water making sure to lower temperature a few mins in to prevent water from spilling over.
  • At about 2-4 mins into cooking the Pici preheat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add cracked pepper and toast until fragrant, about 2 mins.
  • Once fragrant add 3/4 cup of pasta water to toasted pepper. Reserve 1 additional cup of pasta water.
  • Cook Pici to almost al dente. (Note: The total time will be approximately 2 mins less than the normal cooking time.)
  • Transfer Pici to frying pan.
  • Add cheese and additional water. Raise heat to medium/high. Continue cooking and tossing for a full two minutes.
  • Serve immediately.

Notes

*Please use as many organic ingredients as possible. 
Recipe Notes
  • Lower cracked pepper to  1- 1 1/2 tbsp for those with more sensitive tastebuds.
  • Thicker Pici Pasta may take up to 10 mins of boiling and 2 mins of cooking time in the frying pan. 
  • For an extra creamy and silky sauce use an additional 1/2- 1 cup of pasta water (total 2 1/4- 2 3/4 cups) and 1/2 -1 cup finely grated cheese (total 3 1/2- 4 cups).
  • Garnish with freshly grated Pecorino Romano, crushed black pepper or freshly torn basil leaves.
  • Total time does not include the preparation of the homemade Pici Pasta. With 2 people making the pasta, add an additional 20-30 mins of preparation time. 

Nutrition

Calories: 632kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 722mg | Potassium: 216mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 208IU | Calcium: 552mg | Iron: 4mg