My mom always made me butter and cheese pasta growing up. It was her emergency type meal, the thing she could throw together with three ingredients and in 15 minutes flat. This Angel Hair Cacio e Pepe is the Roman extension of that idea.

Cacio e Pepe is my go-to, I-have-nothing-to-eat-and-not-a-lot-of-food meal. I always, always have Parmesan-Reggiano or Pecorino in the fridge and black pepper and pasta in the pantry.  It’s so simple to throw together, yet it does require a bit of understanding what you’re going after. You want the cheese to be smooth and saucy. The pasta water is reserved which has quite a bit of starch in it, which results in a beautiful sauce. The black pepper works perfectly with the salty parmesan. The end result should be a peppery, salty, carb heaven situation.

This angel hair iteration is my current favorite because I love the thin strands of al dente pasta.

If you’re ever in a bind and need something quick fast and delicious, this is it!

Angel Hair Cacio e Pepe

This Italian recipe is simple to throw together featuring a cheese sauce with light pepper. (Recipe Credit: Adrianna Adarme of Fresh Tastes)

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried angel hair pasta
• 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon of freshly ground pepper
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup reserved pasta water
• 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Pecorino

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook just shy of al dente. Reserving 3/4 cup of pasta water, drain the pasta in a colander and set both aside.
2. In the empty pot you cooked the pasta, set over medium heat, melt the butter and pour in the olive oil and 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water. Stir in the 1/2 cup of Parmesan or Pecorino until the cheese has melted and the sauce has started to come together. Add the reserve pasta and toss until it’s evenly coated. Continue to gently stir until the clumpy cheese has melted. If the pasta is slightly dry, add a few more splashes of pasta water until it’s moist and sauce-y throughout. Serve immediately with more cheese on top and a few turns of freshly cracked pepper.

Yield: 6 servings

Adrianna Adarme is a food blogger and author living in Los Angeles, California. She writes the blog A Cozy Kitchen, where she shares comforting, everyday recipes from her kitchen. She recently authored her first cookbook, PANCAKES: 72 Sweet and Savory Recipes for the Perfect Stack. She’s a lover of breakfast, pie (and sometimes even pie for breakfast), corgis and cute things. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.