I think it's safe to say we all LOVE Cacio e Pepe! So naturally I went down a deep dark rabbit hole of Cacio e Pepe EVERYTHING and this Cacio e Pepe Risotto was born!
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
I've said it before but it bears repeating - risotto is not as hard as people make it seem. It's actually quite easy - just requires a little bit of stirring. This Cacio e Pepe risotto is loaded with 3 kinds of cheese, plenty of pepper and it's actually my definition of perfection. Serve as is or add some extra "oomph" by serving alongside my epic Garlic Butter Steak Bites. Chef's kiss!
Also if you are looking for a fun twist on this epic recipe you should check out my Creamy Lemon Cacio e Pepe. Its Pasta a limone meets cacio e pepe and its delicious.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Olive oil
- Shallots
- Garlic
- Arborio Rice
- Dry white wine (anything but an oaky chardonnay)
- Chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
- Parmesan Cheese
- Pecorino Cheese
- Mascarpone cheese
- Kosher salt and tons of freshly cracked black pepper
- Lemon to serve
How to Make
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the shallot and sauté until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute. Add the Arborio rice to the skillet, making sure to stir it around in the olive oil so that each granule is coated with it, and toast it for about 90 seconds
- Add the white wine and stir the rice until all the wine has been absorbed and then start adding the chicken stock ½ cup at a time, making sure not to add more until the previous addition has been absorbed
- Once the rice in this Cacio e Pepe Risotto is just tender, add most of the Parmesan and Pecorino (leaving some for garnish) and all of the mascarpone cheese and combine. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. Serve with lemon wedges on the side
Tips & Tricks
- Cacio e Pepe Risotto all starts with Arborio rice! I like to toast my rice in some olive oil with the shallots for optimum flavor.
- Wine is an important part of making Cacio e Pepe Risotto as it gives you tons of flavor but the actual alcohol cooks off. So if you're making this dish for kids, not to worry! And if you want to skip the wine, you can go straight into the chicken stock. Just add about ½ cup more than what my recipe calls for.
- Time is the thing everyone panics about when making risotto - but really it's only 25ish minutes and an occasional stir. You can easily multi-task. You'll just want to add stock every few minutes and cook the rice over medium-low heat so it slowly absorbs the liquid.
- The final step to making Cacio e Pepe Risotto is adding in some extra flavor. In this specific recipe that comes in the form of pecorino cheese and tons of black pepper - two must haves for anything cacio e pepe flavored! A match made in heaven.
FAQ's
Arborio rice.
It simply means, cheese and pepper.
Cacio e pepe is a Roman dish made with Pecorino Romano cheese and black pepper, while Alfredo is a creamy Italian pasta sauce made with butter, Parmesan cheese, and sometimes cream.
You COULD do it with farro and quinoa, same process. Just slightly different texture at the end.
Cream Cheese! Or a splash of heavy cream!
Similar Recipes
Cacio e Pepe Risotto
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 shallots, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 cup arborio rice
- ½ cup dry white wine (anything but an oaky chardonnay)
- 2 ½ cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese
- ⅓ cup Pecorino Cheese
- ¼ cup Mascarpone cheese
- kosher salt and tons of freshly cracked black pepper
- lemon to serve
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the shallot and sauté until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute. Add the Arborio rice to the skillet, making sure to stir it around in the olive oil so that each granule is coated with it, and toast it for about 90 seconds
- Add the white wine and stir the rice until all the wine has been absorbed and then start adding the chicken stock ½ cup at a time, making sure not to add more until the previous addition has been absorbed
- Once the rice is just tender, add most of the Parmesan and Pecorino (leaving some for garnish) and all of the mascarpone cheese and combine. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. Serve with lemon wedges on the side
Notes
- Do you really need to heat the stock before adding? No, I don’t! It’s technically the way we learned in culinary school – but not the end of the world!
- Can you make this with any rice? I prefer arborio rice for risotto!
- Can I make risotto with quinoa or farro? You COULD do it with farro and quinoa, same process. Just slightly different texture at the end.
- What do I do without mascarpone cheese? Cream Cheese! Or a splash of heavy cream!
This recipe was so rich and delicious! And pretty easy too!
Honestly, i think this is my most favorite thing to eat. I know there are a ton of risotto recipes on here and i am sure they are all super delicious, but i simply can’t get past this one. It’s just so good!!!!!
This recipe is absolutely delicious!!! I was always afraid to do risotto...since the time I made it with regular rice..haha...but I don't talk about that paste creation.. this was so incredibly easy to prepare and my family went nuts over it!!! Thank you for sharing!!!!!!
Can this be made ahead of time, if so how?
risotto doesnt lend itself to being made ahead of time. IF you do, you'll want to add a little bit of liquid when you're re-heating
This risotto has 5 star flavor. It is simply fantastic. Easy to make and will be going into my “favorites” recipe file!
The first risotto recipe I ever made and came out perfectly! So so good. Have made it a couple times since then, and each time it's great.
This was so good! I was looking for a simple comfort food dinner and this was perfect. I’ll definitely be making this again and again. I didn’t have mascarpone so I used a bit of heavy cream. Delicious! Thank you Gaby!
Just made this for dinner tonight since I had all of the ingredients and it was divine! I feel like I’ve been making one of your recipes each week! Keep them coming! ❤️
Thank you Amy!
Looks yummy, but here's a genuine question to American home cooks during quarantine: Can you get most ingredients for your home recipes during quarantine? In in Toronto, normally a big city with almost every ingredient under the sun available, but I've not been out of the house in six weeks. Forget Instacart--it's like the Hunger Games and books 14 days ahead. Amazon does not deliver from Whole Foods here, so only some goods in cans, bags and boxes. Icing sugar cost me $20 yesterday. Flour is about $15 for 5 lbs. from a niche small mill. Marscarpone (in a city with a large number of Italians)--forget it. I hear Americans saying they are going to do Thanksgiving while on lockdown. Where do you get a turkey or cranberries? I'm ordering meat from a high-end butcher who delivers, but turkey--not a chance. I'm just curious how this is working in various parts of America...And envious.
Thank you for this gluten free option!
Sounds delicious and I wonder if I could adapt to my Instant Pot. Hmmmmm. I think since the cheeses are added at the end, I could probably make it work. I might just have to play around with the amount of chicken stock used.
Looks divine but where are the black pepper and red pepper flakes???
no red pepper flakes! but the pepper is in the recipe!
Wow, this looks scrumptious! And the other risottos, too!!!
WOW - Interesting concept - can't wait to try it. Keep up the good work !!
This is absolutely drool worthy!!