Episode 070 - How to Make the Best Cacio e Pepe

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In episode 070 learn what ingredients to use that will make the best Cacio e Pepe ever. This simple to make pasta dish only needs a few ingredients but when executed correctly is delicious.

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You can listen to this podcast episode below or listen on any of these podcast players - Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts. If you would prefer to read the text, you will find a transcript below.

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A white plate of cacio e pepe pasta topped with shreeded cheese and cracked pepper.

🛒 Before You Checkout

What you need to know before you checkout at the grocery store or market:

Eric : If you want to do a dairy-free version of Cacio Pepe, there are many recipes online that have you substitute the cheese for nutritional yeast and Miso paste. My friend, Jenna from the blog, The Urben Life has a lemon pasta recipe that you could use vegan butter in. And it's also made from using reserve pasta water.

Let me turn it over to her to explain more.

Jenna : Hello, friends. My name is Jenna Urben and I'm the food blogger behind the Urben Life where I share simple and seasonal recipes that are always dairy free and egg free. I'm also the podcast host of Blogger Bytes, where I pull back the curtain and chat all things blogging and creating content online.

Enough about me. Let's quickly dive into one of the best kitchen hacks around reserving pasta water. I know it sounds counterintuitive to add liquid to a sauce. You want to thicken up, but trust the process. The pasta water is rich in starch, so not only does it help thicken the sauce, but it also helps the sauce stick to the pasta and make the end result ultra creamy.

I have a great recipe for lemon pasta that really demonstrates the power of this secret ingredient in a separate. As the pasta cooks stir together, the sauce made from regular butter or dairy-free butter. Depending on your preferences, you're also gonna add garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Once the pasta is cooked, al dente, use tongs to lift out of the pasta water and transfer to the pan. From there, you'll gently toss the pasta in the sauce until fully coated. Adding reserved pasta water from the pot as. Don't be afraid to add a little extra. It'll cook down and soak into the noodles. Then before your eyes, it will thicken up and you'll be ready to devour.