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Cacio e pepe, a Roman dish that’s been around for centuries, is proof that a long ingredient list is not a necessity for a great meal. The core ingredients of cacio e pepe also remain largely the same even after all these years, with some sort of pasta, sheep’s milk cheese (the cacio), and black peppercorns (the pepe) being the stars of the show. Modern recipes may incorporate new ingredients to the mix, like various types of pasta, oil, or different cheeses, but the relatively bare-bones nature of cacio e pepe remains a selling point for the beloved pasta dish.
This cacio e pepe-inspired mac and cheese recipe combines the best of both pasta worlds, resulting in a positively rich, cheesy, and peppery dish. It all starts with toasting whole black peppercorns and grinding them up fresh, which not only elevates the flavor of the whole dish, but plays up the cacio e pepe inspiration. Those toasted peppercorns pair with sharp and salty pecorino Romano and parmesan cheeses and butter, making for a rich, creamy, and peppery béchamel sauce to coat tender macaroni. I like to add just a touch of soy sauce to the sauce, which adds a layer of umami depth and helps enhance the overall richness of the dish. Lemon zest and chopped chives serve as the final garnish, brightening up the dish and keeping it from feeling too heavy.
Gather the ingredients for cacio e pepe-inspired mac and cheese
要做這道食譜，先挑選肘形麵或你喜歡的小型麵條。前往乳品區取無鹽奶油、全脂牛奶，以及磨碎的佩科羅諾羅曼諾起司與帕瑪森起司。若需要，曼切戈起司或阿西亞哥起司也可作替代。
你還需要 plenty 的整顆黑胡椒粒，因此若家中只有研磨胡椒，請到香料區拿一罐整顆胡椒粒。其他必要材料還包括中筋麵粉、醬油與鹽，以及作為裝飾的蔥花和檸檬皮屑，用於最終的點綴。
Step 1: Toast the peppercorns
把整顆黑胡椒粒放入中火的小乾煎平底鍋，攪拌 3 到 4 分鐘，經常搖動鍋子，直到胡椒粒釋放香氣並開始發出噼啪聲。
Step 2: Grind the peppercorns
把胡椒粒放進研缽或香料研磨機中，研磨成粗粒狀。預留 1 茶匙的碎胡椒作裝飾用。
Step 3: Bring water to a boil
煮一大鍋鹽水至沸騰。
Step 4: Cook and drain the pasta
水沸後，加入通心麵煮到「略帶嚼勁」（al dente）。瀝乾前保留 ½ 杯煮麵水，然後把煮好的麵回到鍋中。
Step 5: Melt the butter for the sauce
同時，在中等大小的平底鍋中以中火融化奶油。
Step 6: Stir in cracked black pepper
把剩餘的粗碎胡椒加入奶油中，煮 30 秒，直到香氣出現。
Step 7: Whisk in the flour
攪拌麵粉，煮 1 分鐘。
Step 8: Build the sauce and simmer
加入牛奶與醬油，煨煮 5 至 8 分鐘，頻繁攪拌，直到醬汁濃到足以覆蓋湯匙背面。
Step 9: Stir the cheese into the sauce
將火力降至低溫，加入佩科羅諾羅曼諾起司、帕瑪森起司與鹽，攪拌直到起司完全融化，醬汁變得光滑。
Step 10: Pour the sauce over the pasta
把醬汁倒入鍋中的麵條上，攪拌使麵條均勻裹覆，如有需要，加入一些煮麵水以達到你想要的奶油狀稠度。
Step 11: Garnish and serve the cacio e pepe-inspired mac and cheese
將麵條移至上桌盤，然後以保留的粗碎胡椒、蔥花與檸檬皮屑作為裝飾並上桌。
Pairs well with cacio e pepe-inspired mac and cheese
Cacio e Pepe-Inspired Mac And Cheese Recipe
This two-for-one pasta recipe combines rich, peppery cacio e pepe with creamy, cheesy mac and cheese, resulting in a unique dish the whole family will love.
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups whole milk
- 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 ½ cups grated pecorino Romano
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- Add the peppercorns to a small dry skillet over medium heat and toast for 3 to 4 minutes, shaking the pan often, until the peppercorns are fragrant and start to pop.
- Transfer the peppercorns to a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and grind to a coarse texture. Set aside 1 teaspoon of the cracked pepper for garnish.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Once boiling, add the macaroni to the water and cook until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water before draining, then return the cooked pasta to the pot.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the remaining cracked pepper to the butter and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the milk and soy sauce and simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, whisking often, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Reduce heat to low and add the pecorino Romano, parmesan, and salt, and stir until the cheese is fully melted and the sauce is smooth.
- Add the sauce to the pasta in the pot and stir to coat, adding some of the pasta water if needed to get your desired creamy consistency.
- Transfer the pasta to a serving dish and top with the reserved cracked pepper, chives, and the lemon zest.
| Calories per Serving | 588 |
| Total Fat | 22.3 g |
| Saturated Fat | 13.2 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 68.2 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 66.9 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2.9 g |
| Total Sugars | 7.5 g |
| Sodium | 731.1 mg |
| Protein | 28.7 g |
The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
What is the benefit of toasting whole peppercorns?
烘香黑胡椒粒是提升卡喬歐佩佩風味的簡單做法，考慮到胡椒在這道菜中的核心角色，我特別想強調這個基本食材。當你加熱乾燥的胡椒粒時，它們會開始釋放油脂，你可能會聞到略帶花香與柑橘香的氣息。胡椒粒的外層會略微焦糖化，並帶出你生胡椒粉無法得到的堅果香味。
烘香的胡椒粒冷卻後，有幾種研磨方式。請記住你要追求的是不均勻的胡椒塊，而非細粉。研缽是一個很有用的工具，因為你可以逐筆觀察每一次動作，掌控度最高。另一個選項是香料研磨機，速度較快，但較容易把胡椒研磨過細。研磨時請使用短促脈衝，當胡椒研成粗糙、不均勻的碎塊時就停下。
What should I do if my cheese sauce comes out grainy or too thin?
起司醬偶爾出現顆粒感或過於稀薄，主要原因是過高的熱度。如果爐火太熱，起司中的脂肪可能與蛋白分離，醬汁就會出現油膩感而非絲滑。若你的爐子容易過熱或不穩，先將溫度降至低溫，讓醬汁冷卻幾分鐘再加入起司。降低熱度也是避免醬汁變成粗糙口感的關鍵，因此攪拌起司時不需完全熄火，但要避免過熱。加入起司時，請慢慢分次加入，並在每次加入之間攪拌——一次性全部加入可能會造成大塊結塊。
若醬汁過於稀薄或流動性過高，可能需要再煨煮一段時間。麵粉需要時間變稠，設定再多煮幾分鐘的計時器可能就能解決問題。若需要，再加入約 ¼ 杯的佩科羅諾羅曼諾起司或帕瑪森起司以協助增稠。加入時，請將鍋子從火上移開並慢慢攪拌。另一種增稠方法是使用玉米澱粉漿：將 1 大匙玉米澱粉與 1 大匙室溫水或牛奶混合，然後在小火中攪入醬汁。幾分鐘內，你就會看到醬汁顯著變濃。
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