Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe - Amber Kettle

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 14 oz spaghetti

→ Cheese & Spices

02 - 1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated

03 - 2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper, plus extra for serving

→ Others

04 - Salt for pasta water

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until just al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining.

02 - In a large skillet over low heat, toast the black pepper for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.

03 - Add approximately ½ cup of the reserved hot pasta water to the skillet with pepper and let it simmer.

04 - Add drained spaghetti to the skillet and toss to coat evenly in the peppery water.

05 - Gradually sprinkle in the Pecorino Romano while tossing and stirring vigorously until the cheese melts and a creamy sauce forms. Add more reserved pasta water as needed to achieve a silky consistency.

06 - Serve immediately, topped with additional Pecorino Romano and freshly cracked black pepper.

# Expert Advice:

01 -

It tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen, but you only need about twenty minutes and a handful of ingredients.
The sauce is so creamy you'd swear there's butter or cream in it, but it's just cheese, pepper, and pasta water doing their magic.
Once you nail the technique, you'll have a dish that impresses everyone without breaking a sweat.

02 -

The skillet needs to be warm, not screaming hot, when you add the cheese or it will seize up and turn into a grainy mess instead of a sauce.
Toss constantly and confidently—the motion and the starchy water are what emulsify the cheese into that creamy coating.
If the sauce does clump, don't panic—add a splash more pasta water and keep stirring until it smooths out again.

03 -