Three simple ingredients make this easy 15-minute recipe a weekday winner – think mac ’n’ cheese with half the effort. Just toss together warm spaghetti with pecorino cheese and freshly cracked black pepper to create cacio e pepe, a traditional Roman pasta recipe
Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add the pasta. Cook for 7-9 minutes, a minute or two less than you would normally.
Meanwhile, grate the pecorino with a microplane so it is very fine. This will help the cheese to melt more easily and improve the texture of the sauce. A couple of minutes before the pasta is ready, scoop out around 200ml of the cooking water. Add it to the cheese and beat until you have a sauce-like consistency. Drain the pasta and return it to the pan.
Add the pepper to the sauce. Toss over the pasta and mix well, adding more water as required to create a silky sauce that coats the strands of pasta. Serve immediately with an additional sprinkle of pepper.