13 of our favorite cacio and pepper recipes

deleciousfood | April 20, 2025 | Cheese | No Comments

Cacio e Pepe literally means “cheese and pepper”, and the list of ingredients concerns the simple fact. Simply add pasta and you have one of the most emblematic dishes in Roman cuisine. Attributed to the Lazio Shepherds which had to carry all their ingredients with them, its rustic simplicity is a little misleading. An emulsion of pasta water, grated cheese and pepper achieves something like alchemy – a smooth, rich and irressible sauce. Once you have reached the perfect cacio e Pepe, develop the famous flavor profile with some of these recipes inspired by the Cacio E Pepe. After all, what doesn’t taste good with cheese and pepper added to the mixture?

Cacio and Gnocchis Pepe

Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Styling by Christina Daley

This friendly recipe of the week applies the flavors of the cacio e pepe to gnocchi without bolts, which are cooked in a pan until they are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Ready in just 30 minutes, they are served with a pepper sauce, cheese and garnished with parsley and cheese chips.

Cheese and pepper pasta

Jennifer Causey / Food styled by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

Do not let minimalism move away: this version of Cacio E Pepe is not lacking in flavor. (In fact, with a little added butter – Why not? – It’s not as minimal as the traditional recipe.) Starch pasta water and very finely grated cheese make the emulsification occurs; Make sure the water is still hot when it’s time to sauce.

Cacio e Pepe Broccolini with crisp white beans and a burrata

Victor Protasio

The author of Cookbook, Hetty McKinnon, uses the flavors of Cacio E Pepe to build this unique and healthy meal. Carbonized and bitter broccolini, crisp and creamy white beans, milky and bright -free lemon and lemon bounds bring this comforting and simple recipe.

Cacio and Pepper Chips Chips

Jordan Provost / Food styled by thu buse

Cacio e Pepe is a perfect paste and fries are an ideal treat. What if … could you bring them together? Make sure you use kettle-cooked crusts for this simple and stubble recipe.

Cheese fried ravioli and pepper dip

Hannah Hufham / Food Styling by Marianne Williams / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle

These curiéed ravioli are crunchy, buttered and crisp. Served with a cacio e pepe creamy vinaigrette, this cheesy and peppery dish is an aperitif or an indulgent and impressive snack for the company.

Cacio and Pepe Ham and signs with white beans

Jen Causey / Food Styling by Rish Hanners / Prop Styling by Phoebe Hauser

The comforting ham broth and creamy white beans are pushed back with a notch with salty cheese and piercing pepper in this soup inspired by Cacio E Pepe. It is also a great way to use your old Parmesan bark.

Cacio potatoes and duchess pepe

Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle

Dutch potatoes are a classic, rich and elegant potato preparation. The potato puree is mixed with egg yolk, butter and – in this recipe – Pecorino cheese and fresh black pepper for a visually striking side which has all the delicious flavor of the classic cacio e.

Cacio and Pepe at three points

Victor Protasio

We are on board for this amplified version of the classic dish, which doubles the cheese (Pecorino and Amonggiano-reggiano) and triple pepper (pink pepper, tellichéry pepper and szechuan pepper).

Pizza Cacio and Pepe

Poulos

Chef Stefano Callegari de Sbanco, a restaurant just south of San Giovanni in southern Rome, is at the top of his pizza dough, cheaply made with the flavors of the Cacio e PEPE classic. It even straw a little crushed ice on the dough before it is in the oven, to better ensure a tender center and a crisp crust.

Spaghetti with cheese and pepper butter

Eric Wolfinger

Justin Chapple of F&W builds the flavors of Cacio e Pepe in a compound butter, which captures its emblematic taste profile without having to do the work of emulsification of the sauce.

Cacio and Pepper Paste Pie

Andrew Purcell

Chapple brings the flavors of Cacio e Pepe, and a lot of additional cheese, to this spaghetti pie cooked in the comforting and indulgent oven. Made with among amonggian-reggiano, fontina and sharp white cheddar cheese, it makes a cheesy and golden brown marvel.

Spring and green poems with cacio e pepe vinaigrette

Johnny Miller

Kay chun dresses Spring Greens, Fava Beans and Fresh Peas in a tight-up bottled vinaigrette and throws with a generous help of cheese from amonggian-regiano and coarsely cracked black pepper.

Spaghetti cheese and pepper

John Kernick

Scroll further. Chef Antonio Ciminelli from Osteria Fontana Candida actions THE Traditional recipe for cacio e pepe here. Made only with spaghetti, cheese, pepper and salt – this dish is so delicious, you will not need or want nothing more.