The Simple, Delicious Way To Revamp Cacio E Pepe Pasta

The late Anthony Bourdain called cacio e pepe pasta the greatest in the history of the world, and with good reason. The standard ingredients for a classic cacio e pepe recipe include a thin pasta noodle such as spaghetti or bucatini, Pecorino Romano cheese, and freshly ground black peppercorns. All of this amounts to one robust meal that you'll want to keep in your regular recipe rotation. While cacio e pepe always uses Pecorino Romano for the cheese portion, you can definitely get creative with the pepper portion for a different style of spice and heat. With white pepper, pink peppercorns, Sichuan peppercorns, and more, there's no limit to the fun twists and new tastes that you can introduce to your next meal.

Switching up the "pepe" in your cacio e pepe is a simple and effective way to revamp this pasta dish. If you really love pepper, it's an especially great opportunity to explore all of the different types of peppercorns and learn how to use them in your pasta. The expected element of Pecorino Romano cheese will provide a consistent balance to the heat of whatever peppercorns you choose, meaning that you are free to delve deeper into experimenting with an amped up spice factor.

A typical black peppercorn is characterized by a mild level of heat and earthy notes of citrus and pine. Turn up the volume on a traditional cacio e pepe dish by starting out with a slight variation in your pepper of choice or combining a few different styles of peppercorns if you're not ready to completely overhaul your cacio e pepe with one entirely new pepper. Ground white pepper is considerably hotter than ground black peppercorns, so you'll want to mix it together with a portion with ground black pepper or use a lighter touch if using the white pepper alone as to not overpower the spicy side of your cacio e pepe dish.

You can also infuse some flavors typical of Asian cuisine into your cacio e pepe for a delightful and tongue-numbing twist on the traditional Roman pasta dish. Sichuan peppercorns have a distinctive taste that creates a numbing effect on the tongue, while sansho pepper has a similar numbing effect with a hearty punch of citrus flavor too. And crushed pink peppercorns bring a more fruity and floral taste to your dish with a milder level of heat. Be sure to taste-test as you go and remember that with more pungent peppercorns, less is most certainly more.