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Made with nothing but cheese and black pepper — a deceptively simple, deeply satisfying Roman pasta.
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"Cacio" means cheese and "pepe" means pepper — true to its name, the ingredient list is just cheese and black pepper. Born from Rome's working-class table, it's said to have spread as a dish shepherds could make using only portable staples: pecorino cheese and dried pasta. Simple as it is, achieving the perfect emulsion of pasta water and cheese is a real technique — a deceptively deep dish.
Toast the black pepper dry in a large pan to bring out its fragrance.
Boil the spaghetti without salting the water (since you'll use the starchy water later).
Grate the cheese and mix it with a little pasta water to form a paste.
Transfer the cooked pasta to the pan, adding a little pasta water and tossing quickly.
Add the cheese paste and mix well to emulsify.
Finish with one more crack of black pepper.