Cacio e Pepe Mac and Cheese
A perfect mash-up of the classic Roman pasta and American comfort food! This cacio e pepe baked mac and cheese has lots of black pepper, parmesan, and pecorino romano with a rich, creamy sauce and crispy panko topping.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 lb rigatoni or any other shape you like
- 8 tbsp butter 1 stick
- 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper lots
- ½ C flour
- 1 C heavy cream or whole milk
- 2 C half-and-half or whole milk
- 2 oz Parmesan cheese grated
- 2 oz Pecorino Romano grated
- ½ lb Gruyère shredded
- 1 C Panko breadcrumbs
- Olive oil
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the rigatoni until very al dente. Reserve at 1 cup of pasta water before draining and set aside. (The rigatoni I used had a recommended cooking time of 14 minutes, I only cooked it for 8. It will finish cooking once it gets baked.)
- In a large pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add a generous amount of fresh cracked black pepper and toast it for about 1 minute until fragrant. Whisk in flour and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly, until lightly golden.
- Slowly whisk in the cream and half-and-half (or milk). Cook until the sauce thickens.
- Turn off hear and stir in Parmesan, Pecorino, and Gruyère. Stir until fully melted and smooth. Taste for seasoning, and add salt if needed.
- Add the cooked rigatoni to the cheese sauce. Stir to coat. Add ⅓ cup of reserved pasta water if needed. The sauce should be thick but still creamy—if it looks too thick or dry, add a little more pasta water.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Add the mac and cheese to a greased a baking dish. Top with panko breadcrumbs. (If you used milk instead of cream and half-and-half, add a few small dollops of butter on top to help the panko crisp up.)
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and bubbling.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Add a drizzle of olive oil and some more fresh ground black pepper. Eat up!
Did You Make This Recipe?
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