Cacio e Pepe Risotto
Cacio e Pepe Risotto transforms everyone’s favorite “cheese and pepper” pasta into an elegant meal that couldn’t be easier to make. It’s luscious and creamy, with a little bite from the freshly cracked pepper and perfectly balanced with the salty cheeses. If you’re nervous about making risotto, this easy-to-follow recipe will help you master this simple Italian dish in no time!
Table of contents
This Is a Beginner-Friendly Risotto Recipe That Any Home Cook Can Make!
Risotto is a northern Italian dish made with starchy short or medium-grain rice (oftentimes arborio or carnaroli). It’s super simple to prepare, but it’s also loaded with cheese and butter — see, impressive recipes don’t have to be complicated!
Risotto has a bad reputation for being finicky or difficult to prepare, but that’s just because it requires frequent stirring during its lengthy cook time. Stirring the rice as it cooks releases the starches and yields a perfectly creamy, restaurant-quality consistency.
This cacio e pepe version is a fun spin on classic Parmesan risotto. I added a hearty dose of grated Pecorino Romano cheese plus lots of freshly cracked black pepper to infuse the risotto with the flavors of “cheese and pepper pasta” (which is what cacio e pepe translates to!).
Jenny’s Tip: If you’re a visual person, I’ve got a “Risotto 101” tutorial on my Instagram highlights.
The 7 Main Ingredients
- Rice. Obviously, rice is the main ingredient here! Select a short or medium-grain US-grown rice varietal.
- Shallot. I love shallot here instead of onion because the flavor is much milder when cooked. If necessary, swap in finely minced yellow onion for shallot.
- Wine. Opt for a dry white wine here like a Sauvignon Blanc or a Pinot Grigio. Make sure it’s a wine you’d drink!
- Broth. I love the richness of the chicken broth, but it’s easy to keep this dish vegetarian by using vegetable broth. Homemade is always best!
- Cheese. Traditionally, cacio e Pepe is made with Pecorino Romano cheese, but I love adding some parmesan in too.
- Mascarpone. This isn’t strictly traditional, but a couple of tablespoons of mascarpone adds creaminess and it’s my secret ingredient in every risotto that I make! No mascarpone? No problem—swap in a bit of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream.
- Pepper. Pepper is a key ingredient in Cacio e Pepe risotto, so make sure to grind your pepper fresh!
What’s the Best Rice to Use?
You’ll want to grab a bag of arborio (short grain) or carnaroli (medium grain) rice. Both are regional varieties to northern Italy and work great. Did you know that arborio rice grows in California, Arkansas, and Missouri? US Farmers grow nearly 85% of the rice we eat!
Each year, local farmers in Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Texas grow and harvest 18 billion pounds of rice. For this recipe, I used the arborio rice from Rice Select. Rice Select is a company committed to producing and packaging US-grown and harvested rice.
The 5 Simple Steps to Making Cacio e Pepe Risotto
- Sauté the shallot. Sautéing the shallot in a little butter will mellow out its flavor and enhance its sweetness.
- Toast the rice. Toasting the arborio rice gives it a slightly nutty flavor and also firms up the outside of each grain. This in turn slows down the absorption of broth and creates a creamy, but not soggy, risotto.
- Deglaze the pan with white wine. You’ll know it’s time to move onto the next recipe step once the wine has been absorbed by the rice.
- Add the warm broth 1 cup at a time. After each addition, gently stir the rice to release its starches. Once one cup of broth has been absorbed, you can add another cup — and so on until the risotto is al dente.
- Add the cheeses. To amp up the creaminess and richness, add a little more butter, mascarpone, Parmesan, and pecorino. Do this off the heat so the mascarpone doesn’t split!
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I wash risotto rice before cooking?
NO! Rinsing rice removes some of the starch and we need all that starchy goodness during cooking. Add your dry, unwashed rice directly to the pan when cooking.
Can I make risotto with regular rice?
Nope! You need to use arborio or carnaroli, both of which are super high in starch. That excess starch is what makes risotto so creamy!
How long does risotto take to cook?
It will take 20 or so minutes over medium heat. Be patient and don’t increase the heat in an attempt to make the risotto cook faster; that will result in dry, undercooked risotto.
What do I do if my risotto is watery?
It’s possible that you added a touch too much broth—add a bit more cheese to help bring the risotto together. Also, keep in mind that the perfect risotto should spread like lava in a bowl and not clump together in a pile.
Do I have to use wine?
No, but I do think it adds a lot of flavor. If you’re worried about trace amounts of alcohol, simply omit the wine and use chicken stock.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using cold stock. Make sure your broth or stock is simmering! Adding cold liquid slows down the cooking process and hurts the finished product.
- Stirring too much or not enough. If you stir too much, the air cools the risotto down (slowing the cooking process), and not enough, the rice will stick to the pan. Be sure to agitate the rice and stir frequently, but take small breaks from time to time.
- Adding all the broth at once. You need to add the broth in stages. Adding all the broth at once is just boiling rice. The grains need to bump into each other to release starches. Add your broth one cup at a time and stir until the liquid is absorbed before adding more.
- Over or undercooking the rice. Risotto is meant to be al dente. It should have a little toothiness. If your risotto is mushy, it’s been cooked too long. If it’s crunchy, it needs more broth and cooking time.
- Your heat is too low. Risotto is a slow cooking process, yes, but too low of heat won’t cook at all. Be sure to keep the rice at a medium-low simmer while adding broth.
- Adding cheese or mascarpone too early. Cheese and mascarpone should be added at the very end of the cooking process off the heat.
If you do give this recipe a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about & seeing your SMF creations!
More Risotto Variations to Try
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Cacio e Pepe Risotto Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 large shallot, finely minced
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups arborio or carnaroli rice
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 6 cups homemade chicken or vegetable stock, warmed
- 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
- 2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
- Kosher salt to taste
- Lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- In a wide, shallow skillet, melt one tablespoon of olive oil and one tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the shallots have softened. Add the pepper and cook for another minute, until fragrant.
- Then, add the rice and cook for another minute, while stirring, so that the rice is coated in the butter and oil. Add the wine and stir until the rice has absorbed most of it. Once the wine has been absorbed into the rice, add 1 cup of warm broth while stirring frequently.
- Once that broth has been absorbed, add another cup. A trick to tell when it’s time to add more broth is if the bottom of the pan is exposed when you drag your spoon across the bottom. You will continue to add broth 1 cup at a time while stirring until it has been absorbed into the rice and the rice is just slightly al dente, about 20-22 minutes.
- Once the rice has reached the desired doneness, turn off the heat. Stir in the remaining butter, cheese, and mascarpone. Stir until all the cheese has melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately with more cheese on top and lemon wedges on the side.
Nutrition
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