Bucatini Cacio e Pepe (Roman Sheep Herder’s Pasta)

I enjoyed reading the history of the recipe, It obviously was a very simple and basic recipe. I did think it had a strong pepper taste, which I did not mind. It was worth making one time. Thank you for the recipe!! 🙂

I followed the recipe as written and my cheese stuck together in big globs. Overall, it tasted good but I don’t think I would make this again. Kind of tasted like fancy mac and cheese!

This recipe had no fat, and the cheese became huge globs. My husband fixed it by taking out the globs and mixing in some butter, then gradually adding the cheese. What a mess. Very disappointing.

Followed this recipe to the letter, don’t often do that! As a purist about the Slovenian recipes I share, this is one to stay true to in order to appreciate the history, simplicity & culture of the pasta. Served with grilled spring veggie skewers, grilled shrimp & pan seared bay scallops on the side. Highly recommend! Yes, I stirred my arm off to incorporate the fluffy cheese, had some minor clumping. Don’t be shy when adding the pasta water. Next time I’ll keep the water on a simmer, believe it will help with the melting process.

This is amazing! When I was growing up, my neighbor was from Sicily and was the most incredible chef ever! She was born in 1910 and learned to cook at her grandmother’s knee. There was no measuring, only tasting and adjustIng as needed. I must agree that this is an exact copy of her recipe and is about as awesome as pasta, cheese and black pepper can get! A true original, ethinically-correct recipe’. And by the way, the pasta is irrelevant – prepare what you like – the ingredients are the WOW factor.

I’d actually made this hundreds of times before I even knew it was a recipe. I think it first happened when I wanted to make something quick for lunch and it just happened. A friend of mine who worked in a French restaurant said they did something similar but just added butter. I love it because it is so simple. Oh! And yummy.

Most of the places where I had cacio e pepe in Rome used spaghetti a la chitarra, with a square cross-section, rather than bucatini which has a round cross section. The chitarra variety can be made with flour and water, or with egg. Not common in the US.

Followed the recipe, but the cheese only clumped in globs Flavor was good. I think next time I’ll put the ingredients in a blender to get a creamy slurry first.

Can be improved by toasting your fresh ground pepper in a little olive oil in a deep pan first for about a minute. Then add your pasta and cheese as in the recipe

I have seen Cacio e Pepe made many times with copious amounts of butter. This recipe saves calories and fat, making it healthier. I also like the resourcefulness of using the pasta water to make the sauce. Very authentic as well as economical. Not disappointed!

Super!! Easy, different and delicious!

I made this recipe possibly for the third time. It is as I mentioned in my previous review, very good. My secret to success is a combination of gradual addition of the cheese, using residual heat to melt it, and gradual addition of water. Do follow the advice of putting a bit of the water first, then the pasta then the cheese and add more water by 1/2 tbs as needed. My only “tool” was mixing in the same Teflon pot where I cooked the pasta and stirring with a silicon fork. I simply removed some pasta water I needed for the recipe, poured the rest and left just a little then proceeded as described. The pasta was creamy and delicious! Will absolutely make it again as it is a very quick, easy, and satisfying dish good for lunch or dinner! You can try linguini if it happens that you can’t find bucatini or found out at the last minute that you didn’t have spaghetti.

This recipe looked interesting at first glance. After creating this dish, I would recommend not to waste the $ on Bucatini and just use inexpensive thick spaghetti. Consistency of the entire offering was marginal, just pasta and expensive Pecorino Romano (which I’d rather utilize in a more extensive dish). Regarding the 5-star reviews, consume to your content….Nero is playing his fiddle while Rome weeps over this recipe.

Delicious!

This method is the only way I make my pasta now. I will usually add some garlic though. By “some”, I really mean 4-6 cloves. This is a family favorite!!

Perfect. This was so good. I didn’t have any issues with the “sauce” clumping. I followed the directions as written.

Excellent! Very easy to make!

This was really great! I served it with bruschetta and it was a hit. Be sure to use quality ingredients since it’s such a simple recipe. I did have problems with clumpy cheese despite the cheese being very finely ground with a food processor, but the sauce was lovely.

DO NOT. I repeat; do not add as much pepper to the pasta as the recipe calls for. Or your lips will burn off. Otherwise quite tasty and filling.

Thank You, BQ!! Thank you thank you thank you, for every single bite of this wonderful dish!!!!

This is THE true recipe for Cacio e Pepe. No garlic, no frozen peas, no bacon: just the pasta, cheese and pepper. This was a regular Friday evening dish growing up. It is still a favorite because it is delicious and very inexpensive. Thanks for your submission of an authentic Italian recipe. Close your eyes and you’re in Rome.