A classic Roman dish, Bucatani Cacio e Pepe is a cheesy pasta covered in creamy sauce that you’ll want to make again and again!

Hello Reader! I try my hardest to research recipes as best as I can before posting to ensure I am representing each culture correctly. If this recipe is from your country and I have made a mistake or you have suggestions for how to make it more authentic, I would love to hear! Please leave a comment below letting me know what should be different, and I will rework the recipe. It is always my intention to pay homage and respect to each cultural dish that I cook. Thanks for reading!
Bucatini Cacio e Pepe is a deeply personal dish for me. When I lived in Rome I had the chance to try many different restaurants around the city. I enjoyed lasagna, carbonara, gricia and amatriciana, but the dish I always came back to was Cacio e Pepe.
This deliciously creamy, cheesy pasta dish is so beautiful in its simplicity and can be on the dinner table in 30 minutes or less. It’s an ancient Roman pasta dish that has held up over time due to its uncomplicated ingredients and naturally amazing flavor.
Bucatini pasta is the name of the pasta used for this dish. It’s a thick noodle similar to spaghetti, with the smallest hole in the center that allows the dreamy sauce to melt into every crevice.
This lovely Bucatini Cacio e Pepe Recipe has very simple ingredients but getting the texture just right can take a little finesse. Following some careful directions, you’ll see it’s really not that hard and the result is a delicious weeknight dinner you’ll want to make again and again.
Another simple recipe that doesn’t have too many ingredients, but isn’t a pasta dish that you should try is Authentic Italian Sausage and Peppers dish.
Recipe Origins
Bucatini Cacio e Pepe is a classic Italian dish that originated in Rome. Each region or city in Italy is known for showcasing a certain dish, and in Rome you’re sure to hear about Cacio e Pepe.
The name, Cacio e Pepe, translates to “cheese and pepper”– two simple yet delicious ingredients.
The cheese used in this dish is Pecorino Romano, which comes from sheep’s milk and has been around since 3,000 BC.
It’s believed shepherds are responsible for dreaming up this dish. While shepherds spent months traveling with grazing sheep, they needed a meal that was easy to prepare and would provide energy all day long.
This dish fits the bill. The pecorino cheese did not spoil easily and the whole peppercorns and dried pasta was easy to carry along with them. The flavors melt together perfectly and the carbs in the pasta provide energy that sustains.
Over time some slight variations have popped up, but the authentic Cacio e Pepe Recipe is still the best. No butter or olive oil are needed, and the starchiness of the pasta water makes the sauce just the right texture. It’s such a simple dish, what’s not to love?
Why Make this Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: It doesn’t get much easier than cheese, pepper and pasta.
- Let your Tastebuds Travel to Rome: There is nothing more authentically Roman than a nice hot dish of Bucatini Cacio e Pepe. When I’m missing my experiences abroad, it’s the best way to bring back all those memories!
- Quick Easy Recipe: With just a few ingredients, this recipe can come together very quickly and the flavor is something you won’t forget!
What Do I Need to Make This Recipe?
Ingredients:
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.

- Bucatini: Traditional cacio e pepe is made with tonnarelli but that can be very difficult to find in the United States. Instead, bucatini is a popular replacement. It’s similar to spaghetti but is a lot thicker and has a hole in the center. If you can’t find any Bucatini at your local grocery store, thick spaghetti noodles will work just fine.
- Black Peppercorns: Fresh ground BlackPpepper is an important part of this recipe. It adds a vital flavor to the sauce. Your typical ground pepper flakes will work in a pinch, but the fresher and larger flakes you can get, the better.
- Pecorino Romano: Finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese is the base of the sauce. Do not settle for anything pre-grated. It’s worth the effort to grate the block down by hand to get the texture and flavor just right. While you may be tempted to replace this with something else–don’t! The flavor of this cheese just cannot be replaced.
Tools:
- Pot: The tools needed to make this classic dish are as simple as the ingredients. First you need a large pot to cook the noodles in.
- Large Skillet: A large skillet works well to mix the sauce with the pasta.
- Stove top: This recipe comes together over medium-high heat in less than 20 minutes.
- Instant Pot: I’ve made this dish in an Instant Pot. You can find that recipe here.
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1: Prepare the Noodles

Fill a pot with only enough water to cook the pasta. Bring it to a boil and salt it generously.
Add the bucatini noodles into the pot and cook until they are very al dente (about 1 minute before the package instructions say they will be done).
Step 2: Prepare the Sauce


While the pasta is cooking, add a large saucepan to the stove and turn to medium high heat. Add the freshly cracked black pepper into the pan. Toast for a few minutes until the pepper is fragrant.
Add a ladle of starchy pasta water (about ¼ cup) into the saucepan. Then use kitchen tongs to add the cooked pasta into the saucepan, reserving the remaining pasta water.
In a small bowl, add about ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water to the grated cheese and use a fork to mix together, forming a cheesy paste.
Step 3: Mix it All Together

Add the cheese paste to the pasta in the saucepan and use the tongs to mix the ingredients together until a cheesy sauce is formed. You may need to add spoonfuls of pasta water to get the sauce to thin out.
Once the cheese sauce is formed, add any more black pepper to taste, give the noodles a little twist, and serve. Enjoy!
The Importance of Pasta Water
It may not seem like it, but the pasta water is actually one of the most important ingredients in this meal (along with the pasta… and cheese… and ground pepper… you know what? It’s all important).
When you boil your pasta in water, starches release into the water, making the perfect recipe to thicken the sauce! When your pasta has finished cooking and you’re getting ready to add it to your pan, make sure to reserve several cups of pasta water.
It’s also important to add salt to your pasta water but NOT to the sauce. A little bit of salted water is just the right amount of salt for this creamy pasta sauce.
What Makes This Recipe Challenging?
For such a simple recipe, it can be difficult to get it just right. The key is all in the heat. Too much heat and your cheese will clump, too little and it won’t melt.
For the best results, do not add your cheese to the pot while it is still on the heat. Remove the pot (with the hot pasta and pepper) from the heat and then add in your cheese sauce. You never want to add your cheese to boiling water or allow it to boil in the pot.
Allow the hot pasta water to melt your cheese most of the way and the hot pasta will do the rest, leaving you with a perfect cacio e pepe. As your noodles cool, the sauce will thicken and that’s okay as long as your noodles are fully coated.
Expert Tips

- This is one of those recipes where quality matters. Don’t skimp on good quality cheese, good pasta and fresh cracked pepper.
- Never use pre-grated or pre-shredded cheese. It will not melt well and your sauce will not get the desired texture.
Recipe FAQs

Parmesan is much easier to find than Pecorino Romano, but it’s not a solid replacement. Pecorino Romano contains so much flavor and the cheese melts so perfectly into a sauce. Plus, if you want true, authentic tasting Bucatini Cacio e Pepe, you’re going to want to stick with the most authentic ingredients possible!
If you can’t find Pecorino Romano cheese at a specialty grocery store near you, parmigiano reggiano will work in a pinch.
Tonnarelli are the most popular noodles used in Rome to make Cacio e Pepe. It is similar to spaghetti but slightly thicker and square-shaped. Bucatini is the next best noodle to use. If you can’t find either, spaghetti will work just fine.
The amount of heat used in this recipe is so important to achieve the right consistency. Do not add your cheese to a pot that is still on the heat. Allow the hot water to melt the cheese at the perfect temperature.
High-quality cheese is also important. Pre-packaged, grated cheese will not melt into that comfort-food creaminess. Instead, purchase a fresh block of Pecorino Romano and grate it yourself.
Also take care to grate your cheese on the smallest setting, as it should be as fine as sand. The smaller you grate the Pecorino Romano, the easier the cheese will melt.
Yes! This recipe is very easy to make in the Instant Pot. Find my recipe here.
Pasta is always tricky to reheat, and Bucatini Cacio e Pepe is especially difficult. If you think you may want to enjoy some Bucatini cacio e pepe later on, save some of the pasta water as well. Reheat it on the stove over very low heat, adding a few tablespoons of pasta water to it as you mix it gently.
Did you like this Bucatini Cacio e Pepe? If so, check out these other recipes I picked out just for you:
- How to Make Homemade Pasta
- Italy: Recipes, Background and Culture
- Brown Butter Gnocchi with Sage and Walnuts
- Easy Tiramisu Recipe
- Easy Pasta Sauce Recipe
- Homemade Margherita Pizza Recipe
- What To Serve with Chicken Marsala

Cacio e Pepe Pasta
Equipment
- Pot(s)
- Skillet
- Stove top
- Instant Pot
- Ladle
- Tongs
- Box Grater
- Mixing Bowl(s)
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 8 oz Bucatini Noodles
- 1 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper to Taste (Use code FF20 for 20% off), coarsely ground
- 8 oz Pecorino Romano Cheese, grated
- Reserved Pasta Water
Instructions
- Fill a pot with only enough water to cook the pasta. Bring it to a boil and salt generously.
- Add 8 oz bucatini noodles into the pot and cook until they are very al dente (about 1 minute before the package instructions say they will be done).
- While the pasta is cooking, add a large saucepan to the stove over medium high heat. Then, add 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper into the pan. Toast for a few minutes until the pepper is fragrant.
- Add a ladle of starchy pasta water (about ¼ cup) into the saucepan. Then use tongs to add the cooked pasta into the saucepan, reserving the remaining pasta water.
- In a small bowl, add about ¼ cup of pasta water to 8 oz grated cheese and use a fork to mix together, forming a cheesy paste.
- Add the cheese paste to the pasta in the saucepan and use the tongs to mix the ingredients together until a cheesy sauce is formed. You may need to add spoonfuls of pasta water to get the sauce to thin out.
- Once the cheese sauce is formed, add any more black pepper to taste and serve. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Bucatini: Traditional cacio e pepe is made with tonnarelli but that can be very difficult to find in the United States. Instead, bucatini is a popular replacement. It’s similar to spaghetti but is a lot thicker and has a hole in the center. If you can’t find any Bucatini at your local grocery store, thick spaghetti noodles will work just fine.
- Black Peppercorns: Fresh ground Black Pepper is an important part of this recipe. It adds a vital flavor to the sauce. Your typical ground pepper flakes will work in a pinch, but the fresher and larger flakes you can get, the better.
- Pecorino Romano: Finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese is the base of the sauce. Do not settle for anything pre-grated. It’s worth the effort to grate the block down by hand to get the texture and flavor just right. While you may be tempted to replace this with something else–don’t! The flavor of this cheese just cannot be replaced. This is one of those recipes where quality matters. Don’t skimp on good quality cheese, good pasta and fresh cracked pepper. Never use pre-grated or pre-shredded cheese. It will not melt well and your sauce will not get the desired texture.
- This is one of those recipes where quality matters. Don’t skimp on good quality cheese, good pasta and fresh cracked pepper.
- Never use pre-grated or pre-shredded cheese. It will not melt well and your sauce will not get the desired texture.
Nutrition

Geri says
How many cups or ounces of Pancetta?
The Foreign Fork says
Hi Geri. 400 grams is about 14 ounces 🙂