Cacio e Pepe with Burrata is a creamy, cheesy indulgent pasta dish. It takes less than 20 minutes to make and is made with a few pantry ingredients like freshly cracked pepper, parmigiano-reggiano, pecorino, and pasta. It's a delicious last-minute pasta dish for a weeknight or date night at home!
First, in a 5 quart pot, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and season with kosher salt. Keep the water shallow so it gets starchy from the pasta.
kosher salt
Add pasta and cook for about 7 minutes, or about a minute before al dente or tender. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain the rest.
8 oz pasta
Heat olive oil on medium heat in a heavy skillet. Then mix in pepper and cook until toasted and fragrant, about 1 minute.
1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Then, add ½ cup of the reserved pasta water to the skillet. Once the water simmers, add spaghetti and swirl in the pasta pepper water with tongs.
Reduce the heat to low and add in butter and parmigiano-reggiano. Use tongs to stir in the butter and cheese in a circular motion to coat the noodles.
2 tablespoon unsalted butter, 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano, 4 oz burrata, ¼ cup finely grated Pecorino
Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the pecorino Romano. Use the tongs to toss the pasta and cheese until the cheese melts and the pasta is coated with cheese. The pasta is done once the noodles are al dente and coated with sauce. If the pasta is dry, stir in more pasta water one tablespoon at a time until it reaches a saucy consistency.
Serve the pasta in bowls and scrape the bottom of the pan with a spoon to collect the starchy sauce. Top the pasta servings with the starchy sauce, burrata, and more black pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Notes
Storage
Cacio e pepe is best enjoyed immediately. However, if you have leftovers, store them in an air-tight container and keep in the fridge up to one day. To reheat leftovers, heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a pan over low-medium heat. Add the leftover pasta and use tongs to gently separate the pasta in the pan to cook. Place a lid on top of the pan and allow it to reheat, about 2-3 minutes.
Top Tip
Cacio e pepe is only as delicious as the ingredients you use. We recommend using authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino Romano, and not using parmesan cheese from the green can or it will clump.