Easy One Pan Cacio e Pepe Rigatoni

Name: Easy One Pan Cacio e Pepe Rigatoni
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoon unsalted butter; 2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper ((pre ground will also work)); 8 ounces rigatoni ((or other boxed pasta shape)); 3 cups water; 1 teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt ((use half as much if using another brand of salt)); 1 ounce parmesan cheese ((approx ½ cup, finely grated)); 1 ounce pecorino romano cheese ((approx ½ cup, finely grated))

4.73 from 18 votes

Published by Rebecca Eisenberg ⁠— August 25, 2020 (updated August 4, 2022) — 29 Comments

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A foolproof recipe for one pan cacio e pepe rigatoni, aka "cheese and pepper" pasta that takes less than 15 minutes to make. It's so, so good and just extremely comforting on those nights when you just can't be bothered to make something with more than, like, five ingredients.

a skillet of cheesy cacio e pepe rigatoni noodles on a wooden table with cheese and ground pepper in bowls around it

This easy cacio e pepe recipe uses a non-traditional one pan cooking technique to get that perfect silky sauce. And the hearty rigatoni noodles are perfect for soaking up lots of peppery flavor as they cook.

If you're looking for an equally simple weeknight pasta dinner with just a few more ingredients, try my one pan garlic parmesan chicken pasta, one pan spicy chicken rigatoni, or my creamy carbonara with Brussels sprouts and bacon!

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What is Cacio e Pepe?
Why You Should Make This Easy One Pan Cacio e Pepe
Ingredient Notes
How to Make One Pan Cacio e Pepe
Why This Recipe Works
Storage Tips
Practical Tips and Recipe Notes
Recipe FAQ
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💬 Comments

What is Cacio e Pepe?

Cacio e pepe is a classic Italian pasta dish whose name translates literally as "cheese and pepper." (I can never quite pronounce it right, so click here to hear the correct pronunciation).

If you've never had it before, think of it like a fancy or grown up version of mac and cheese. It has a buttery, peppery sauce made with finely grated pecorino romano cheese stirred into starchy pasta water.

close up of a bowl of cacio e pepe rigatoni. a small bowl of ground pepper is in front of it. a block of a cheese is behind it.

Traditional cacio e pepe is one of those so-simple-it's-complicated pasta dishes where everything needs to be done just right. It uses fresh, homemade pasta which produces a lovely starchy pasta water. And super traditional cacio e pepe only uses Pecorino Romano cheese.

When done correctly, the cheese and starchy pasta water form a velvety sauce that evenly coats the noodles.

Do even a single step incorrectly, however, and the pecorino cheese clumps up, creating a stringy and unappetizing mess.

Why You Should Make This Easy One Pan Cacio e Pepe

I have little patience for dishes that require the level of precision of traditional cacio e pepe. I respect the heck out of the finesse and technique and anyone who can pull them off, and I will gladly order those dishes in restaurants.

When I'm cooking at home on a regular weeknight, I don't find it enjoyable to chase perfection. I want reliability and I want room for error.

So, I've used my favorite one-pot pasta cooking method — which creates a super starchy pasta water — to make cacio e pepe into something a little less stressful and a lot more foolproof. And I've added parmesan cheese to the recipe, because it helps the pecorino romano cheese melt.

an overhead shot of two bowls of cacio e pepe rigatoni on a white cloth on a wooden table. a small green plant is to the top left. two small bowls with grated cheese and black pepper are in the bottom right.

Basically, this recipe came about because I needed a quick and easy dinner while we were packing to move and trying to use up everything in the kitchen. All I could find in the fridge was the end of a wedge of pecorino romano and small block of parmesan cheese.

"What about one-skillet cacio e pepe?" A voice whispered in my head.

Would the cheese clump up if I added it at the beginning? Would the cheese stick to the pan or coat the noodles? Would I end up with a silky sauce or a sticky mess?

The only way to find out was to try.

Even my very first attempt at one-skillet cacio e pepe worked beautifully. That's how foolproof this recipe is. I was elated.

Sure, there were a few moments of panic where it looked like maybe the cheese wouldn't melt or the water wouldn't absorb, but in the end, it worked perfectly every time.

And that's that on trying new things in the kitchen even when you aren't sure how they'll go!

So let's get to the recipe.

a close up of a small bowl of cacio e pepe rigatoni. a fork is piercing a noodle in the bowl.

Ingredient Notes

Here's what you'll need to make this one pan cacio e pepe! See recipe card (at the end) for quantities.

Rigatoni - This sturdy pasta shape can hold up to the vigorous stirring the recipe requires. You can definitely use other pasta shapes. This also works well with cavatappi, macaroni, penne, etc. Just make sure you're using a boxed pasta and not a gourmet or fresh pasta.
Pecorino Romano - The traditional cheese for cacio e pepe! I recommend buying a wedge or brick of it and grating it yourself. Pecorino Romano doesn't melt easily, so you want to make sure it's grated very finely.
Parmesan - Non-traditional for cacio e pepe, but it's slightly softer and melts more easily than Pecorino Romano. Again I do recommend grating it yourself. If you do use pre-grated parmesan, just look for the finest grated cheese you can. And I don't recommend using powdered parmesan, it doesn't melt as well.
Unsalted Butter - Butter brings out the flavors of the pepper better than olive oil does. You can use olive oil or vegetable oil, but you'll get better flavor with butter!
Black Pepper - Freshly cracked black pepper will give you the best flavor and is great if you want some variety in the pepper pieces in your cacio e pepe. But I've made this using pre-ground black pepper too and it works just as well!
Salt - Definitely don't skip the salt! Just like you need to salt pasta water when cooking pasta to drain, you need to salt the water here too.
Water - It's hard to say exactly how much water you need; it will depend slightly on the size and depth of your pan. You need enough to just barely cover the pasta in the pan. I usually start with 2 or 3 cups, and then add more in small amounts if the water is boiling away/absorbing faster than the pasta is cooking.

How to Make One Pan Cacio e Pepe

Start by prepping all of your ingredients. Once you start cooking, you'll want to stay pretty close to the stove to stir frequently so nothing sticks.

It's best to have your cheeses grated, pepper cracked and measured, and water ready to go before you turn the stove on!

overhead shot of pepper bloomed in melted butter in a saute pan

Melt butter over medium heat, then add the pepper and stir. It will fizz and bubble slightly as it blooms in the fat.

overhead shot of pouring water into a saute pan filled with uncooked rigatoni

Add the uncooked rigatoni and just enough water to barely cover it. You can add more water later if it needs it.

overhead shot of water boiling in saute pan with rigatoni

Bring the water to a boil and set a timer for the "al dente" cook time on the box (about 9-11 minutes, depending on the brand). Stir constantly as the water boils away and absorbs.

overhead shot of cooked rigatoni in saute pan. a spatula pushes some of the pasta out of the way to show there is little water left.

When the pasta is cooked through and little water remains in the pan, remove the pan from the heat. Always taste test a noodle for doneness before adding the cheese!

You may need to add more water to the pan if the pasta isn't cooked through by the time the timer goes off. Each time you add water, you cool the pan down. Add water in small amounts so you can quickly get the pan back to a boil.

a pile of finely grated cheese added to a skillet of cooked peppery rigatoni

Add the cheese in batches, stirring vigorously but gently to melt it into the pasta water.

finished cacio e pepe in a saute pan with a silky smooth sauce

It will look clumpy and stringy at first, but will eventually melt into a smooth sauce.

If the cheese is really clumping up or getting stringy on you, you can return the pan to low heat and add small amounts of water as you stir to help smooth it out.

If you accidentally add too much water at this stage, you can always add more cheese to thicken it again.

Why This Recipe Works

Blooming the pepper in the butter before you add the pasta to the pan helps the pepper flavor absorb into the noodles. There's a bit of a peppery kick, but it's evenly distributed rather than just when you bite into a chunk of peppercorn.

The pasta cooks to a perfect al dente texture, and the blend of cheeses melts and combines with the starchy pasta water forming a silky, cheesy sauce that evenly coats the noodles.

one skillet cacio e pepe in a pan on a wooden table

When boiled in a large pot of water, boxed pasta won't give you a truly starchy pasta water. With this cooking method method, the water absorbs or boils away leaving a super concentrated starchy pasta water behind — perfect for making the cheesy sauce!

Like I said, I have little patience for finicky recipes that require perfection. When I want a one pan recipe, I want something foolproof. And the method I settled on for this one pan cacio e pepe is basically that.

It may not be perfectly traditional, but it requires very little perfection to make a cheesy, peppery pasta dish that's nothing short of perfect.

Storage Tips

Cacio e pepe is best served same day, fresh out of the pan. Store leftover cacio e pepe in an airtight container in the fridge.

To reheat, put it back in a skillet over low heat and stir well, or microwave in 20-30 second bursts, stirring in between until reheated.

Practical Tips and Recipe Notes

Weighing finely grated cheese as you grate it can be tricky — it's so light! I recommend grating a bunch of it and then measuring it into a bowl on a kitchen scale all at once.
You must use pecorino romano and parmesan cheese for this one pot cacio e pepe cooking method. The two cheeses melt very differently (parmesan melts quickly, pecorino does not). If you try to use just one of the two cheeses I can't make any promises for how successfully this will turn out.
I make no promises for how this will work if you use pre-grated cheeses. They often have starches and anti-coagulants added to prevent clumping that are totally safe to eat but that can affect the way they melt.
The recipe calls for 3 cups of water for 8 ounces of pasta, but depending on the size of your skillet and how much pasta you're using you may need to adjust. My rule of thumb is that you should have just enough water to mostly cover the pasta, but that it's okay if some of the rigatoni pieces are only partially submerged. It's easier to add more water if you need it than to remove water if you add too much, so err on the side of less water to start.
Set your timer according to the package directions for al dente pasta. If the water completely boils away before the timer is done, add a splash more as needed until the pasta is cooked through. Test a noodle for doneness before you remove the skillet from the heat.

Recipe FAQ

Can I use gourmet or fresh pasta to make this?

No, unfortunately. They are too starchy and too absorbent — they turn to mush if you use this cooking method. Stick to boxed pasta here!

Can I use other types of pepper?

Sure! It will change the flavor of the dish slightly, but the recipe will work. I know some people prefer white or pink peppercorns instead. You could even use a peppercorn blend!

Do I need to weigh the cheeses?

Finely grated cheese is very fine and delicate, which makes it hard to measure in a measuring cup. There's a lot of air taking up space in there! Measuring by weight is much more accurate. But cheese is often best measured with your heart — if you don't have a kitchen scale, the cup measurements provided below should be fine. You may just need to add more water or more cheese to get the sauce just right when you get to that step.

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