Cacio e Pepe
Have you heard of this pasta? It’s all the craze during quarantine. It’s basically what I make my kids all the time, but with garlic and pepper added. Something about that pepper, though, really takes this dish to the next level. The more you eat it, the more you want it.
We actually watched Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman) make this on the Food Network last week! My husband couldn’t stop salivating afterwards and he was determined to make this for lunch the following day.
My daughter has an aversion to pepper or anything that looks remotely like pepper. I put poppy seeds (which taste like nothing) in one of her favourite salads and she struggled to get every bite down because of it! So, he made the kids’ pasta without pepper and then added some to his dish. He gave me a bite and I really didn’t understand why this pasta was so popular. Until I made it myself….
I love my husband, but he missed many marks when making this dish. First, he didn’t reserve enough pasta water. Second, he didn’t make the sauce with butter (he used olive oil – which is fine, but you know….not as flavourful). Third, he didn’t add enough Parmesan cheese. Finally, he added the pepper on top of his pasta, rather than cooking it into the sauce and pasta. Man, no wonder his pasta sucked….errr, I mean, wasn’t great. The kids loved it, though!
Today, I decided to make it for lunch as my husband and the kids were outside gardening all morning. Everyone was happy and both my daughter and my husband went back for seconds!!
Adding the pasta water to this dish is SO VERY IMPORTANT!!!! You need the starch from that water to help bring this sauce together. Otherwise, the flavours won’t cling to the pasta and the dish will taste bland. Also, it’s really important that you grate lots of cheese beforehand. Don’t just grate the cheese over the pasta. You’ll likely not add enough doing it that way. Of course, if you buy pre-grated, then you don’t have to worry! 🙂
Enjoy!
Cacio e Pepe
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- freshly ground black pepper Add as much as you would like, but consider adding more to this dish than you would normally add to a 'regular' dish.
- 1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese I grated about 2 cups. You can never have too much cheese!
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add a generous amount of salt before adding the pasta to the pot. Cook until the pasta is al dente, or still has a little bite. Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water.
- Do NOT rinse the pasta!
- Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in your skillet over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the garlic and 1 1/2 cups of the pasta water and bring to a simmer. It will seem like a lot of water, but don't worry.
- Grind in a generous amount of pepper.
- Add the pasta and remaining 3 tablespoons butter to the skillet. Stir to combine.
- Add the Parmesan a handful at a time, tossing the pasta with each addition and adding more pepper if desired. Remove from the heat and continue to toss the pasta until well coated, thinning with the extra pasta water if needed.
Notes
Turkey Sausage and Arugula Pasta
I have been making this dish since I saw Giada making it on her Food Network show a few years ago. She tops this yummy sauce over baked potatoes, but I far prefer it served with pasta. This dish looks really similar to another dish I made, Cheesy Sausage Pasta, but it is very different. I just like to use shells as my pasta of choice. 🙂
There are many things that I like about this dish. It’s a great weeknight meal, because it comes together quickly. The sausage adds so much flavor on it’s own. It’s almost fool proof! You can easily switch out the arugula for spinach, should your local grocery store not carry it. Like I did this time around. I do prefer arugula, though, as it doesn’t go mushy as quickly as spinach. But, my daughter loves both, and that’s enough for me!
In a pinch, you can use pork sausage for this recipe, as it is more readily available, but be sure to drain off the fat. Sweet sausage is also much more kid friendly than the spicy variety. My daughter picked up on the spice in this dish right away when I couldn’t find sweet sausage, and she wasn’t as big a fan. So, I stick to the sweet stuff now.
The arugula or spinach will look like too much when you first add it to your dish. But, it will wilt down really quickly.
See? Mmmmm….this is yummy stuff.
Here’s what you need to do:
Turkey Sausage and Arugula Pasta
Turkey Sausage and Arugula Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium white or yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
- 1 package of sweet turkey sausage about 4 or 5 sausages, casing removed
- 1 jar tomato basil sauce 2 cups
- 3 cups arugula or spinach
- 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 pound pasta your choice of noodle
Instructions
- In a large skillet, sauté the onions in olive oil over medium high heat until translucent. Add minced garlic and salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute, stirring often. Add the turkey sausage and cook until the meat has cooked through. Add in the tomato sauce and arugula. Let the arugula cook into the sauce until it reduces in size. Add in the mascarpone cheese and stir till combined. Remove the skillet from the heat, and stir in the parmesan cheese. Add pasta into the sauce, and finish with more parmesan cheese.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Cheesy Sausage Pasta
On such a rainy, cool June day, something warm and comforting seemed, not only appropriate, but necessary!! This is the coldest June I can ever remember! I wish my running were better, because it is definitely a good month for that!! But, running, at least for me, was not happening today. With the forecast calling for ‘buckets of rain’, our basic plan for the day was staying in, keeping cozy, and watching movies!! We did manage to get to the St. Lawrence Market this morning, before the rain started.
The St. Lawrence Market is one of our favorite places to go on a Saturday morning. There are farmers markets in different areas of the city every day in Toronto, but none as big as the St. Lawrence Farmers Market on Saturdays. Our typical Saturday there involves a breakfast sandwich, smoothie and wandering around buying local fruit, veg and meat.
Today, among other things, we bought local sausage from the Tanjo Family Farm, located in Millbank, Ontario. When we were following the Whole 30 program, and were craving sausages, we couldn’t find ANY without added sugar! Until we happened upon the Tanjo Family Farm. They don’t add any sugar to their sausages. They even had the ingredients listed for us to make sure. They were the best tasting sausages EVER! Needless to say, we like these guys. They tend to sell out of their product, so we had get there early to make sure we could get some. Today, we got 6 Italian sausages and a 3 pound pork shoulder! I’m excited about the pork shoulder, and have a recipe in mind! I’ll share that later. 🙂
With all the rain today, going outside to grill sausages just wasn’t going to happen. As I was thinking of what to make for a late lunch, I realized I had everything to make a yummy, warming, pasta! The sausage would work perfectly!! If you have any on hand, feel free to add in some arugula or spinach. Would be a great addition!!!
Here’s what to do:
Cheesy Sausage Pasta
3 Italian sausages, casings removed
1 large shallot, diced
500 ml marinara sauce
1 whole Buffalo mozzarella, cubed
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
Shelled pasta (or whatever pasta ya got!)
Boil pasta in salted water until al dente. Set aside. Saute shallots in olive oil, add sausage and about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and some pepper. Stir occasionally, until sausage is cooked through. Add marinara sauce and allow the sauce and the sausage to get to know each other for a bit. Just before adding the pasta, add the mozzarella cheese. It will melt pretty quick! Add pasta, parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper, if needed.
Enjoy this ooey, gooey goodness!
(Source: Boss Of The Apple Sauce)
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