Cacio e Pepe Gnocchi with Spicy Pancetta

What is cacio e pepe?

Cacio e Pepe is a pasta dish from Rome, which translates to “cheese and pepper”. The ingredients of the dish are black peppercorns, grated pecorino Romano cheese, and a long pasta (such as spaghetti or bucatini). 

Gnocchi

For this cacio e Pepe recipe, I wanted to make a spin on a delicious classic and use gnocchi. I used shelf stable gnocchi purchased from the store, but feel free to make your own gnocchi to use in this recipe!

Cacio

For the “cacio” in this recipe, we will be using pecorino Romano. Pecorino Romano is a hard sheep’s milk. If you cannot find it, substitute with another sheep’s milk. Freshly grating your cheese is so important for cacio e Pepe, so you do not end up with a stringy/grainy sauce. Pre-shredded cheeses have anti-caking agents that affect the texture and taste once melted.

Black peppercorns

The other most important ingredient is the “Pepe”. Toasting the whole black peppercorns prior to crushing them enhances the flavor and aroma of the pepper. Once they are lightly toasted, crush them using a mortar and pestle, or with the back of a skillet.

Pancetta

Cacio e Pepe is so flavorful on it’s own, but to pump up the flavor some more, we are going to add pancetta. Pancetta is salt cured pork belly that you can find already diced in the meat section of the grocery. The crispy pancetta gives the gnocchi dish texture, depth, and some heat from the Calabrian Chile’s that will be mixed with the pancetta. 

Making Calabrian pancetta

Over medium/high heat, add the pancetta to your skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes until they become crispy. Lower the heat to medium and add 1 tbsp of Calabrian Chile paste. Continue to sauté the pancetta in the chiles for an additional minute. Careful, the Chile paste may sputter when added to the pan. Remove and set aside.

How-to make cacio e pepe gnocchi

1. Toast whole black peppercorns in skillet over medium/low heat for 4 minutes. Remove from skillet and crush in mortar and pestle, leaving a few bigger pieces.
2. In same skillet, over medium/high heat, add in diced pancetta. Sauté until crispy, about 4-5 minutes. Add in 1 tbsp of Calabrian Chile paste and sauté an additional minute. Careful, the Chile paste may sputter when added to the pan. Remove, set aside, and wipe pan out.
3. In a pot of boiling water, cook gnocchi al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water prior to draining gnocchi. (You can also use a spider strainer to transfer gnocchi straight to pan)
4. In skillet over low heat, add crushed pepper, cooked gnocchi, and 1/4 cup of pasta water. Toss gnocchi until coated in pepper. 
5. In a bowl, add the grated pecorino Romano cheese and 5 tbsp of the pasta water. Mix using a silicone spoon until a paste forms. 
6. Remove gnocchi from heat and add the cheese paste, stirring vigorously, but carefully, until sauce forms and coats the gnocchi. Add more pasta water if needed to thin sauce.

Serving

Serve the cacao e Pepe gnocchi right away with dollop of spicy pancetta in the center. This dish is best served warm so the sauce remains silky and smooth.

Storing/reheating

• Store cacio e pepe gnocchi in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can store it together or separately from the Calabrian pancetta.
• To reheat, microwave until gnocchi are warmed through or put in a sauce pan and warm over low heat.