Ramen Carbonara
Julia Moskin, "Breakfast: The Most Important Book About the Best Meal of the Day"
2656 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
2,656
25 minutes
Cacio e Pepe
Updated Nov. 13, 2023
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- Salt
- 1½cups finely grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for dusting completed dish
- 1cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1tablespoon ground black pepper, plus more for finishing the dish
- ¾pound tonnarelli or other long pasta like linguine or spaghetti
- Good olive oil
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
678 calories; 26 grams fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 68 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 40 grams protein; 1152 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Put a pot of salted water on to boil. In a large bowl, combine the cheeses and black pepper; mash with just enough cold water to make a thick paste. Spread the paste evenly in the bowl.
- Step 2
Once the water is boiling, add the pasta. The second before it is perfectly cooked (taste it frequently once it begins to soften), reserve a cup or so of the cooking water, then use tongs to quickly transfer the pasta to the bowl. Stir vigorously to coat the pasta, adding a teaspoon or two of olive oil and a bit of the pasta cooking water to thin the sauce if necessary. The sauce should cling to the pasta and be creamy but not watery.
- Step 3
Plate and dust each dish with additional pecorino and pepper. Serve immediately.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
BQW
Just wanted to say that everyone arguing about authenticity of this recipe or any variation thereof is doing the most authentically Roman thing you can do.
Peter
Sorry guys but this is not the right way to make Cacio e Pepe. You transfer the pasta into a skillet, put some of the pasta water there and slowly add the cheese while flip mixing the pasta to create your sauce that sticks. You have to do this for a good 1-2 minutes.
Michael
Peter's right: transfer pasta to a skillet with some pasta water when it's still 1-2 minutes undercooked and gradually add the cheese (+ more water if needed). But the most important detail for absolutely delicious cacio e pepe - toast whole peppercorns in a small cast iron skillet over medium to medium-high heat, shaking occasionally, for 2-3 minutes until aromatic or until they start to dance around in the skillet. Crush in a mortal and pestle and use instead of raw pepper. Amazing!
James A
Day 1: As is. Perfect!
Day 2: Feeling Frisky. Added preserved lemon and arugula. Mmmm.
Day 3. Tried + anchovy, toasted garlic and arugula. Plus a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Rocks.
Day 4: Thinking of an old standby, I filleted a few sardines, plus capers, preserved lemon and arugula. Oh, and a few bread crumbs toasted in olive oil + butter. How could it not be delicious?
Making a paste of the cheese and pepper with cold water is genius.
Tomorrow?? Thank you, Mr Bittman.
JF
I'm laughing about the HUGE emotional response attached to this dish. Italians use a general rule of thumb and improvise as they go. Which is what I do. I'm second generation, which is close enough. Cheese, pasta, something to keep it wet and blendable, lots of pepper. The rest makes this "your own". Relax, for the love of ...(whomever you want), and enjoy!
Hayford Peirce
I'm going to make it tonight for myself, using exactly 1/3 of all the listed ingredients. BUT, as Suellen wondered a while ago, WHY can't the cheeses be listed by weight instead of by CUPs? I asked this same question at much greater length in the Comments to the original article itself. An OUNCE of Parmesan can vary from 1/4 cup (Cuisinart) to 1 cup (Microplane) -- tonight I'll use an old hand grater and get about 1/2 cup....
Gina
My husband, Salvatore Corea, is the chef-owner of a restaurant in the East Village named after this Roman dish. Table-side, the homemade tonnarelli pasta is tossed right out of the wheel of cheese. It's both theatrical and delicious!
Loratora
If you are interested in an authentic cacio e Pepe, visit Tales of Ambrosia and check out How to Make Cacio e Pepe like a Roman. There are detailed instructions and helpful comments. For certain, there is no parmigiana, butter, olive oil or cream in the real recipe.
Chloe
I can't understand why the people who found it "gloopy" didn't just do the most logical thing, once you add the cheese to the pasta, put it back over the heat and stir it until the cheese is melted and the "sauce" is thick and creamy. Often the scheese clumps together and is all stringy in lumps throughout the pasta and stuck to the pan, just put it back over the heat, stir, and it's a perfect sauce. Don't understand how anyone didn't think to just melt the cheese over heat to make it combine.
Nick
I agree with peter. Transfer the pasta to a skillet and add cheese. Add cooking water if necessary and heat if the cheese remains clumpy. Double the volumes of cheese if using a microplane grater. Also, definitely use a microplane if you have one as the finer texture melts much more easily. If you don't have a microplane, consider buying one. They're fantastic as zesters, graters, and other tasks.
MaryEllen
my standby when there's no food in the house and I'm starving. There's always pasta, olive oil, pepper, Romano and garlic.
I do sauté minced garlic in oil and add it with the cheese and pepper.
Scott
WHY can't I print out all of these terrific comments with the recipe?!
Suzanne M
Works great, even with *gasp* Kraft Parmesan cheese!
Bnom
Try this with Szechuan peppercorns added to the black pepper -- an idea the comes from the kids at the Woks of Life blog. It's amazingly good.
KathY
Not that I am a Martha Stewart fan, but Google that magazine's recipe. Calls for grana padino cheese and gives reason why. Always comes out perfecto.
Margaret
I am a big fan of NYT Cooking and Mark Bittman but this recipe just didn’t work for me, my end result was a bowl of plain pasta with big clumps of peppery cheese.
Giacomo Poochini
Una pasta perfetta.
Craig
The variety and intensity of the notes could put me off making the dish entirely. Instead, I think i will throw out the recipe and use the basic ingredients--good pasta, good cheese, a bit of the pasta water, and grated pepper--in a way that satisfies me. Cheers
Nana K
I feel extremely betrayed by this recipe. Followed it to the letter and ended up with clumpy cheese and a wet sauce.
Tony S
I'm a failure with this recipe and several of its cacio kin. Cold water, cold bowl, cold tongs, cold heart (apparently). Even with all this, as soon as the hot pasta hits the cheese mixture I get nasty rubbery cheese clumps, not a nice coating sauce. The more I mix, the more it clumps. Putting the while thing back over heat makes it worse. Ditto pasta water.
bex_mylife
Made this, super easy!
Gina W
I made it exactly as described, except I vigorously stirred with a whisk! Came out perfectly. So easy and delicious. The simplicity of the dish is everything. Don’t skimp on high quality cheeses and olive oil!
timo
I don’t care whether or not a recipe is “authentic”. I care whether or not it works. Saw this method I’ve never tried and gave it a shot. This did not work for me. The cheese wasn’t made hot enough by the pasta and water and turned into clumps not a lovely creamy sauce, so I put it back into the pan and over some heat and it all came together how I like my cacio e pepe.
mysteryd
The whole recipe on the site of the Academia Italiana Della Cucina*: (350 grams of spaghetti; 100 grams of pecorino) ‘Bring salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti al dente. Drain them but not too much and pour them into a hot bowl, adding a few tablespoons of cooking water, the grated pecorino cheese, freshly ground pepper and mix them for a long time so that the ingredients mix well. Serve hot.’ *founded on July 29, 1953 to protect the traditions of Italian cuisine.
Webster
I have made a LOT of NYT recipes. This is by far the worst I’ve ever made. The “paste” turns into clumps and stays stuck to the bowl in equal measure. What a complete fail.
T in Boston
While as written, it is a great dish to make after coming home after a night of bar hopping with friends. But like another commenter, blasphemous as it may, I wanted to make a version with some freshness to be a quick meal after a long sober work day that I could pair with a glass of Sancerre. Added some sliced green onion (scallions), a finely diced celery stalk for some bright crunch, and some lemon juice. Stirring vigorously, no clumps and only silky sauce. Delightful and easy.
Brian
Wow. Too peppery! Also I disagree with the methodology of adding the pasta to a bowl with the cheese on the bottom. Adding cheese on top of pasta would have prevented cheese sticking to the bowl and clumping of cheese.
Brian
Too peppery! I recommend adding two-thirds the amount of pepper called for.
Angie
Simple and delicious. Olive oil unnecessary. Add a little more pasta water than you think it needs at the end. It firms up quickly. The toasted black peppercorns are a game changer. Don't skip that step!
LooseKnit
I'm making this tonight and adding a tbsp of red miso paste just to freak everyone out
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