With just five ingredients and 30 minutes from start to finish, this Gnocchi Cacio e Pepe is a perfect dish for a cozy weeknight dinner or an impressive last-minute meal.
Serve it with a salad, grilled zucchini or a protein source, like chicken with sundried tomatoes or a grilled butterflied chicken with rosemary to name a few.
Key Ingredient in This Recipe
You’ll find the complete list of ingredients and exact quantities in the recipe below.
- 00 Flour – also called tipo 00 flour or chef’s 00 flour. This is a flour that is often used in Italy for pasta and pizzas. The 00 is a reference to the grind size and 00 is the finest.
- Ricotta cheese – if you can find fresh ricotta cheese, it’s better than the tub version, but unfortunately not everywhere available.
- Pecorino Romano cheese
- Egg
- Black pepper
How to Make Gnocchi Cacio e Pepe
Step 1 – Most readily available ricotta comes in tubs and are relatively watery, so you will need to get most of the moisture out in order for the gnocchi to stay together. Use kitchen towels to pat dry the ricotta cheese.
Step 2 – Transfer ricotta to bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of grated Pecorino Romano and combine. Add half of 00 flour and combine, then add an egg and combine. Add remaining 00 flour and combine. Transfer onto your counter and knead with your hands until you have a uniform ball.
Cover and rest for 10 minutes.
Step 3 – Flour your counter and roll out dough, until about ½ inch thick.
Step 4 – Cut dough into strips of about 1 inch wide.
Step 5 – Roll strips into ropes and cut pillows out of it.
Sprinkle with flour and transfer to baking dish.
Step 6 – Put water on the stove and bring to a boil. No need to add salt, the cheese is salty enough.
Add gnocchi to the boiling water and wait until the pillows float to surface.
Step 7 – Take a little bit of gnocchi water out of pan and mix with the grated Pecorino Romano cheese. Add some ground black pepper and mix until you have a paste, NOT a sauce.
Step 8 – Place a skillet on a medium-low heat and roast freshly ground black pepper for a minute or so.
Add a cup of gnocchi water to skillet and add the cooked gnocchi, using a slotted spoon. Cook until half water is evaporated. Take the skillet off the heat and add the Pecorino paste. Stir until sauce you have a sauce.
That saucy finish of the dish, that’s what it’s all about.
Other Gnocchi Recipes to Try
- Sweet Potato Ricotta Gnocchi in Cheese Sauce
- Arugula Malfatti with Pecorino Sauce
- Golden Beet Gnocchi with Cottage Cheese
Gnocchi Cacio e Pepe
Pin Recipe FacebookIngredients
- 250 grams ricotta cheese
- 150 grams 00 flour
- 1 egg
- 100 grams Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
- black pepper, freshly ground
Instructions
- Place ricotta to bowl. (NOTE 1)
- Add 3 tablespoons of grated Pecorino Romano and combine. Add half of 00 flour and combine, then add an egg and combine. Add remaining 00 flour and combine. Transfer onto your counter and knead with your hands until you have a uniform ball.
- Put water on the stove and bring to a boil. No need to add salt, the cheese is salty enough.
- Flour your counter and roll out dough, until about ½ inch thick.
- Cut dough into strips of about 1 inch wide. Use a knife or a dough cutter.
- Roll strips into ropes and cut pillows out of it. Sprinkle with flour and transfer to baking dish, lined with parchment paper.
- Add gnocchi to the boiling water and wait until the pillows float to surface.
- Take a little bit of gnocchi water out of pan and mix with the grated Pecorino Romano cheese and add some ground black pepper. You need to end up with a paste, not a sauce.
- Place a skillet on medium-low heat and roast freshly ground black pepper for a minute or so. (NOTE 2)
- Add a cup of gnocchi water to skillet and add the cooked (floating) gnocchi, using a slotted spoon. Cook until half water is evaporated. Take the skillet off the heat and add the Pecorino paste. Stir until you have a silky cheese sauce.
Notes
- Most readily available ricotta comes in tubs and are relatively watery, so you will need to get most of the moisture out in order for the gnocchi to stay together. Use kitchen towels to pat dry the ricotta cheese.
- How much black pepper is hard to say, as it so very much depend on what you like. So, I would start with a limited quantity and add more later if you think it’s not enough and make a mental note how much to roast next time.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.