White Pepper Cacio e Pepe with Lemon

If you are a Cacio e Pepe traditionalist, you should stop reading now.

Because there’s next to nothing traditional about this recipe.

And it may offend you.

Traditional Cacio e Pepe

Cacio e pepe is a traditional Roman staple. The name of the dish translates to “cheese and pepper” in English.  So this is literally cheese and pepper pasta.

The simplest of cacio e pepe recipes use only black pepper, Pecorino Romano, and butter or olive oil.

The world doesn’t need another traditional cacio e pepe recipe.  And if it did, that recipe would be found in Rome.

But that doesn’t mean traditional cacio e pepe can’t be adjusted, with some complementary flavors added, and a fool-proof cooking method applied.

My White Pepper Cacio e Pepe

That’s what I’ve done with my White Pepper Cacio e Pepe with Lemon recipe.

Yes, the title’s a bit redundant, but it’s important to make clear one of the biggest ways my recipe diverges from the traditional: I use white pepper.

White Pepper vs. Black Pepper

White pepper comes from the same plant as black pepper, and both start as peppercorns.  But unlike black pepper, white pepper comes from peppercorns that are picked at peak ripeness, then soaked in water.  Fermentation results, the outer layer of the peppercorn is removed, and only the inner seed is used to make ground white pepper.

The skin of the peppercorn is where most of that peppery, spicy flavor comes from.  So white pepper is a bit more mild and sweet than black pepper.

Which means my white pepper cacio e pepe has a really unique, mildly sweet and peppery flavor.

Not traditional, but absolutely delicious.

Other Non-traditional Components

My other change here is the addition of lemon.  Traditional cacio e pepe doesn’t use it.

But lemon and pepper are such a complementary match, I couldn’t resist.  And now, I don’t think I could make cacio e pepe without adding some freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Basil and garbanzo beans are a few more untraditional, yet complementary components of my recipe.  And I love how the garbanzo beans make this pasta dish more of a meal.

Cooking White Pepper Cacio e Pepe

The final untraditional element of my recipe is the cooking method itself.  The hardest part about traditional cacio e pepe is timing—getting the sauce and the pasta ready to incorporate at the same time.

But with my recipe, you make the sauce first, then add the pasta.  It means you’ll see the cheese clump together a bit as you heat it with the olive oil and butter.  But rest assured, once you put the sauce and pasta together, everything will get smooth and creamy.

Make White Pepper Cacio e Pepe!

So on that inevitable weeknight that you need a fast, easy, and delicious pasta dish, make my White Pepper Cacio e Pepe with Lemon.

A Few Things

You should be able to find white pepper at the grocery store.  I know Whole Foods carries it.  But I’ve been impressed with Amazon’s brand, which you can find here [aff. link].

Also, be sure to use a really good olive oil!

Here is my absolute favorite olive oil, straight from the Panagiotopoulos Family’s olive groves in Greece [aff. link].

Last, I highly recommend using a Microplane cheese grater to grate the Parmesan and Pecorino in this recipe.  A Microplane grater will result in more finely grated cheese, which will melt better into the oil and butter.  Here is my favorite Microplane grater for cheese on Amazon [aff. link].