If this grown-up version of mac n’ cheese is adulting then I can’t wait to grow up. Cacio e Pepe is here for you, cheesy pasta lovers. So if you’ve given up dairy by choice or by necessity, don’t give up hope. Instead, give it up for the fact that this classic dish can be “veganized”. Yes, I am using the word vegan as a verb.
Literally meaning “cheese and pepper” cacio e pepe is a classic Italian dish made with a few simple ingredients that you likely have in your kitchen if you cook.
Here’s the rundown…
Classic cacio e pepe:
- pasta
- butter and/or olive oil
- grated cheese
- coarse ground black pepper
For my recipe I went with:
- spaghetti
- Miyokos vegan butter + evoo
- Just Like vegan parmesan
- coarse ground black pepper
So let me walk you through the easy steps. Because, even though this recipe is easy, there are a few tips and tricks.
Use wheat or gluten-free pasta for this dish
First and foremost, as a good rule of thumb for cooking anything, start with fresh high-quality ingredients. Get some really good pasta, high-quality extra virgin olive oil, and your favorite cheese (either vegan or traditional dairy).
Then it comes down to the specific ingredients in this delish dish.
The cheese…
Tip ~ if you do traditional dairy, I recommend doing half parmigiano reggiano and half pecorino romano. Parm has a sweet nutty taste, while pecorino has saltiness and tang. And, whether vegan or dairy, it is always best to buy a whole chunk of cheese and grate it fresh.
The pepper…
Another cacio e pepe tip is to use freshly ground coarse black pepper. No pre-ground black pepper, people! That stuff has no place in anyone’s kitchen. It lacks both flavor and imagination.
The recipe calls for you melt some butter and extra-virgin olive oil in a sauté pan and toast the pepper a minute. This is where you ultimately finish cooking the pasta. More on this next!
Use coarsely ground pepper for this recipe
Now the pasta…
For the pasta you can go with a dried or fresh pasta. Traditionally this dish is made with a long pasta, such as spaghetti or similar. But rock on with rigatoni if that’s your fave shape.
Now, when you cook pasta, you want to do so in generously salted boiling water. Then, once it is just reaching al dente remove the pasta from the water with tongs (allowing some of the water to drip off) and put it directly into the butter-oil-black-pepper sauté pan.
You’ll also want to reserve some of the pasta water for this step.
Look at that twirl action!
Finishing the dish…
Take that al dente pasta and add it to the sauté pan with the melted butter/oil/pepper mixture, and toss over medium heat with the remaining butter and all the cheese until melted and a nice sauce develops.
Add some of the reserved pasta water if needed to make the pasta more “saucy”, or if the pan starts to dry out.
Cacio e Pepe with extra cacio!
And that’s it! Dish up, top with more cheese and pepper if desired to serve. Uh em… when is more cheese not desired?
If you make my Cacio e Pepe recipe I’d love to hear from you! Comment below or tag me on Instagram.
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| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 15 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
|
- 8 oz uncooked spaghetti
- 2 tbsp vegan butter divided *see blog post for brand rec!
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp fresh coarsely ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups fresh grated vegan parmesan see blog post for brand recs
Ingredients
|
|
- bring a large pot of liberally salted water to a boil, then cook pasta until al dente (removing 2 - 3 minutes before recommended cooking time)
- meanwhile, heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and melt 1 tablespoon of the butter (save the other tablespoon) with the olive oil, add cracked pepper and “toast” about 1 - 2 minutes
- using tongs remove pasta from cooking water when al dente, allowing most of the pasta water to drain off as you remove it, and add pasta directly to sauté pan and toss to coat over medium heat
- add remaining tablespoon of butter to pasta in sauté pan and toss, then add cheese and keep tossing over medium heat to melt, about 2 - 3 minutes (add some of the pasta cooking water to pan if pasta starts to dry out or is too thick)
- remove pasta from heat and serve right away, top with additional cheese and pepper if desired
Recipe serves 4 - 6 as a side dish or as a pasta course, 2 - 3 as a main course
Original recipe created by Jerran Boyer
www.healthnutchefs.com