Buttery Black Pepper-Parmesan Pasta

Also called, cacio e pepe, this uber-easy, ultra-satisfying dish marries tender noodles with a no-fuss, buttery sauce of pasta water, cheese and loads of freshly ground, toasted black pepper. It's such a simple process, but the result will blow you away. I promise - it happened in my house.

When I served this to the boys, I added a caveat: I said that cacio e pepe was typically served just like this - no sauce - but if they wanted sauce I had some handy. I thought serving them "white" pasta, with no marinara or meat sauce ladled on top would raise some eyebrows. But that didn't happen. They sampled the dish and were completely floored. "Wow, this is REALLY good" was the phrase of the night. And I was overjoyed. In fact, it's simple comments like that that make me weak in the knees.

I'm 100% sure I'll be making this dish over and over again. Not just because it's downright delicious, but because it can be made in minutes with pantry staples.

The trick to taking the dish over the top? Toasting the black pepper! Thirty seconds in a dry skillet and the black pepper is toasted, which enriches its aroma and brings out more of a spicy, smoky essence. It's those elements that make this dish shine.

About the pasta: I used thin spaghetti but ANY pasta shape works. Use what you have on hand.

Buttery Black Pepper-Parmesan Pasta
Don't forget to reserve some of the cooking water when you drain the pasta! 

1 pound pasta of choice, I used thin spaghetti
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for garnish
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for garnish
Salt

Cook the pasta according to the package directions (until just al dente). Drain, reserving 1 1/4 cups of the pasta cooking water.
Meanwhile, toast the ground pepper in a large, dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant - this should take about 30 seconds. Add 4 tablespoons of the butter and the olive oil, and cook until the butter melts, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the drained pasta, 1 cup of the reserved pasta water and the grated cheeses. Toss to coat the pasta well. Season with salt. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water and tablespoon of butter, and toss to coat.
Serve with extra ground pepper and grated cheese on the side.
Serves 4