Cacio e Pepe is a pasta dish from Roman cuisine. Cacio e Pepe means (cheese and pepper) in some central Italian dialects. As the name suggests, the ingredients of the dish are so simple. You’ll need only pasta, black pepper and Pecorino Romano cheese.
The feeling when you get home late from work, tired and just very hungry? You can whip up Cacio e Pepe in less than 30 minutes with simple ingredients you have in the pantry. Just relax, have a glass of wine, and start cooking this simply delicious spaghetti dish.
Ingredients:
1 lb. Spaghetti
1 3/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 tbsp. olive oil
Directions:
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, about 10 minutes.
Scoop out some of the cooking water and reserve. Drain spaghetti.
Heat oil over medium heat in a large pan or skillet then sauté garlic and add pepper.
Add the spaghetti and Pecorino Romano cheese.
Ladle in 1/2 cup of reserved cooking water, stir until cheese is melted, about 1-2 minute.
Add more cooking water until sauce coats spaghetti, about 1 minute more.
My grandsons love spaghetti. They will eat it every day if they could.
I’m sure everyone has their own favorite spaghetti recipe using different types of meats and sauces. In our family we enjoy spaghetti with meat balls, meat sauce, or as a casserole.
The casserole version is very easy to prepare, it uses sauce from a jar. It can be made ahead of time and frozen, just pop it in the oven whenever you want to serve it.
I’ve been making Spaghetti Casserole for years. It’s not as “saucy” as regular spaghetti with meat sauce, but it’s still yummy! I add a bottle of Chili Sauce to give it a unique taste, the only problem I’ve had is the bottle of Chili Sauce looks so much like Cocktail Sauce which is usually placed on the same shelf next to it. Many a time I’ve come home with a bottle of Cocktail Sauce instead, meaning an extra run to the market for the right sauce and some shrimp!
Here’s the recipe. Served with a small salad it makes a great dinner when you’re pressed for time.
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. spaghetti
1 bottle Pasta Sauce
1 bottle Chili Sauce
1 tbl. minced garlic
1 tbl. cooking oil
6 slices American cheese
Cooking spray
Directions:
1. Prepare spaghetti as directed on package. Drain hot water and replace with cold water to keep pasta from sticking together. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large deep frying pan. Add garlic and sautee until it turns golden brown.
3. Add ground beef. Cook until meat is browned and crumbly. Drain oil.
4. Add pasta and chili sauce. Stir well and simmer until sauce starts to bubble.
5. Remove sauce from heat and stir in drained pasta.
6. Spray a 9 x 13 baking pan with cooking spray and pour pasta mixture into the pan.
