Who knew healthier pasta with cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper) sauce could be so simple, fresh and easy to make? Hands down, this recipe will not disappoint you. It is so delicious and a no fuss-dish to make. The sauce goes well with these vegetable noodles and who isn't intrigued by a zoodle dish!
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- 20g unsalted butter
- 1/2 C finely grated cheese*
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
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1 large zucchini peeled and spiralized
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Vegetables**, As desired
- Place the zucchini noodles in a colander and toss with 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Leave for 15 minutes. Using a towel, squeeze out additional water.
- If adding extra veggies: Heat oil in wide non-stick pan over medium heat. Pan-fry vegetables until cooked well. Place to the side of the pan.
- Using the free side of the same wide non-stick pan over medium heat, add 3 tbsp of the oil and sizzle the pepper for about 1 minute. Stir in the butter. Mix in the cheese and combine with the cooked vegetables.
- Transfer the zoodles to the pan, mix in with the veggies and sauce. Toss with pasta tongs and cook until al dente — the noodles should be wilted, but still have a slight crunch (about 5 to 8 minutes). As they cook, keep tossing so that all the zoodles have a chance to hit the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!
*Traditionally pecorino cheese is used but I love to use parmesan which tastes just as good. A good note is the need to be finely grated to allow easier integration with the zoodles while you cook.
**I think mushrooms and spinach go well with this recipe.
The spiralizer is not the only way to make these noodles. You can use a mandoline or also a standard vegetable peeler to make wide noodles or ribbons.
If you made this recipe, leave a comment to let us know how you went! Add a picture of your final result or post a picture on instagram and tag me@danibianchi_.