Cacio e Pepe – “cheese and pepper,” literally translated – is kind of a Stonehenge of recipes. In that it’s sacred. Revered. Hallowed. Meant to be untouched.

Today I’m revealing my inner rebel and not only seriously messing with the recipe, but I’m also calling it Vegan Cacio e Pepe.

*GASP!*

I know, I know … besides the fact that it’s sacred, there’s also this: If Cacio e Pepe doesn’t have cheese in it, it’s not really Cacio e Pepe.

But here’s the deal. I used to love me some Cacio e Pepe (and its variations). Something fierce. Then I went all dairy free and whatnot, and here I am, wanting Cacio e Pepe and not being able to have it. Bad things, good people.

So I thought I’d try something that just might satisfy my craving. I thought, what if I tossed a whole slew of cashew parm into some pasta and cracked a bunch of black pepper over the top? Would it satisfy my lust for Cacio e Pepe?!

The first time I took a bite, my eyes went wide. Good wide. “DAMN, that’s AWESOME” wide. Seriously, this stuff is so, so delicious and tastes shockingly close to the authentic stuff. But without a speck of cheese! For real!

I think it’s worthy of being called the real thing (well, preceded by the word “vegan,” of course) even if it really isn’t. Lord knows I’m more than happy sticking with this version and never going back to the original.

If you’ve tried cashew parmesan, you already know it’s kind of magical stuff. Basically, you grind cashews with nutritional yeast, salt, and a little garlic powder if you like. The taste comes seriously close to the real thing, and it’s incredible on everything. Soup. Pizza. And oh mylanta, popcorn.

And mixed straight in with pasta and black pepper, too.

For this recipe, I use whole wheat pasta. It also works well with angel hair pasta and, I’d imagine, gluten-free brown rice pasta (I haven’t tried it with gluten-free pasta yet, but I will report back as soon as I have. An excuse to commit blasphemy yet again?! I’m there!)

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Have you heard of Cacio e Pepe? Other than not really knowing how to pronounce it, it’s also a dish that, strangely, until now, I’ve never been able to prepare successfully.

I say that’s strange because it’s the simplest of simple pasta dishes, supposedly. Spaghetti noodles tossed with Pecorino Romano, black pepper, and a little pasta water. That’s it. And it’s heaven. I’ve enjoyed it when prepared elsewhere by people who know more than me, and it’s just absolutely perfect.

Anyway, I figured it out, and I feel like a total dork. The cheese should be grated, not shredded. As in, grated on a very very fine grater so that it’s pretty much pulverized, or bought like that in a tub at the store. That’s it. So instead of the cheese evenly disbursing itself throughout the pasta, my freshly shredded cheese would clump together in a big, giant mess. It’d taste okay, but it definitely didn’t look right. And the dishes were h-e-double-hockeysticks to clean.

Yup. Grated cheese. That’s it.

So basically, I solved my Cacio e Pepe mystery when developing this dish, which is a tiny bit more complex, but not by much. I add nutty browned butter and Parmesan instead of Pecorino Romano. Not only does it work perfectly, it’s also utterly delicious in its simplicity.

Sometimes I like to throw a smattering of fresh basil in and/or top my portion with halved cherry tomatoes and sometimes I top my guy’s portion with chopped cooked bacon. It’s also pretty awesome as-is.

Either way, it’s on the table in 20 minutes from start to finish, and it is so, so good. Spaghetti noodles cooked perfectly al dente, salty Parmesan cheese, cracked black pepper, and that distinctly rich and aromatic quality that only brown butter lends to a dish.

Cheesy, easy heaven.

If you try this recipe, please leave a rating! And, if you find it share-worthy – which I hope you do – please share. Tag #kitchentreaty on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, and don’t forget to check out my other recipes!

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Brown Butter Pasta with Parmesan

Nutty brown butter, grated Parmesan cheese, and pasta water mingle with al dente spaghetti to create pure magic. Best of all, this dish is ready in a matter of minutes.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword brown butter pasta, buttered noodles

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 347kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter I use unsalted, but salted is also fine
• 1/2 pound 8 ounces spaghetti noodles
• 1/4 cup pasta water + more if necessary don’t throw it out!
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese + more for topping if desired
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Recommended but optional toppings for a little variation: fresh chopped basil, cooked chopped bacon, halved cherry tomatoes

Recommended (but optional!) toppings:

• Fresh chopped basil
• Cooked chopped bacon for the meat-eaters
• Halved cherry tomatoes

Instructions

• In a small, thick-bottomed pan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Continue cooking the butter over medium heat, whisking frequently, until the foam subsides and the butter begins to turn brown and smell nutty, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat immediately and set aside. Note: It is really easy to burn brown butter, so watch it carefully. It turns brown really fast (and can also burn really fast!)
• Meanwhile, set a large pot of water to boil. Cook the pasta to al dente per package instructions.
• Using tongs, lift the cooked spaghetti noodles out of the water and place in a large pasta bowl. You can drain the noodles in a colander, too, but remember to reserve some of the pasta water! It’s crucial for this recipe.
• Pour the browned butter and 1/4 cup of the pasta water over the noodles. Sprinkle with Parmesan and add a few turns of freshly ground black pepper. Using the tongs, toss well until all ingredients are incorporated and have mixed to coat the noodles with an almost creamy sauce. Add more pasta water – a couple of tablespoons at a time – if necessary to achieve this.
• Top with additional Parmesan cheese if desired. Serve immediately. Top individual portions with basil, bacon, or cherry tomatoes, if desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 347kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 231mg | Potassium: 137mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 422IU | Calcium: 108mg | Iron: 1mg

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