Name: Grossy's Cacio e Pepe
Ingredients: 1 lb box of spaghetti; 3 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper; 1 ½ cups pecorino cheese, finely grated; ½ cup parmesan cheese, finely grated; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 lemon; 2 handfuls fresh arugula or mustard greens

What You'll Need

Scale

1 lb box of spaghetti
3 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups pecorino cheese, finely grated
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 lemon
2 handfuls fresh arugula or mustard greens

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

What You'll Do

Before you dive in, I just want to say that the below is very wordy, which may trick you into thinking this recipe is complicated—it’s not. I just like to be thorough when describing a recipe. I’d read the below for lots of good information, and then make the Cacio e Pepe by following the step-by-step photos and instructions.
So first, you’ll fill a large pot with 2 inches of water and add 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. You want your water extra starchy, so less water means a higher concentration of starch. Normally I would salt my pasta water heavily but not today because this dish gets real salty real fast!
Bring water to a boil and add pasta. Set timer for 6 minutes. No really—set a timer.
While the timer ticks away, add 2 ½ teaspoons freshly cracked pepper to the bottom of a large pan. Turn heat to medium and toast the pepper, moving it around in pan until pepper is fragrant (about 2 minutes). Carefully add 1 cup of pasta water from the pasta pot into the pan with pepper and stir. Let simmer over medium.
While the timer ticks on, add 1 ½ cups finely grated pecorino cheese and ½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese in a mixing bowl. Whisk it up, removing any clumps, then set aside.

Note: You can use ALL pecorino in this recipe, which is traditional in Roman Cacio e Pepe, but I find it can be a bit too salty. The mix of a little parmesan helps cut the salt a bit!
When your 6 minute timer is up, use tongs to transfer your pasta into the pan with peppery water. Mix well and continue to simmer over medium heat.
Take 1 cup of hot pasta water and add to bowl with cheese. Immediately start to whisk. Do not stop until you have the creamiest and dreamiest cheese sauce. That means no lumps!
Add cheese sauce to pan with pasta. There should still be a little bit of pasta water left in pan. Mix until combined, and then keep going until you have a perfectly thick, creamy and glossy sauce coating your pasta. Add more freshly ground pepper to taste. If your sauce dries out too fast, add more reserved pasta water as needed.
If you stop here, you have traditional Cacio e Pepe. If you want to go full Grossy on it, read on.
Remove from heat. Add a few handfuls of arugula or mustard greens to pan plus the zest of ½ of a lemon. Stir pasta a few times to incorporate, but don’t over mix. The greens will wilt just a little bit, which is all you want!
Plate your pasta, adding some more greens on top for crunch! Enjoy!
Note: Cacio e Pepe is best made fresh and eaten immediately. The process is so fast and easy! I like to keep some pasta water for reheating leftovers in a pan. Add some pasta water little by little over medium heat and stir until your sauce is thick and creamy again!