Cacio e pepe with runner beans
Cacio e pepe or "cheese and pepper" is a Roman classic – an easy pasta sauce that uses pasta water for silky texture. Runner beans add freshness and bite
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Prep:10 mins
Cook:15 mins
- Serves 2
- Easy
Nutrition per serving
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kcal 706
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fat 37g
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saturates 22g
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carbs 67g
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sugars 4g
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fibre 7g
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protein 22g
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salt 1.3g
Ingredients
- 180g linguine or bucatini
- 160g runner beans, topped, tailed, string removed and finely sliced
- splash of olive oil
- 60g butter
- 1 tsp black peppercorns, crushed in a pestle and mortar (not too finely)
- 30g parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), finely grated and at room temperature
- 30g pecorino (or vegetarian alternative), finely grated and at room temperature, plus extra to serve
Method
Boil a pan of salted water, add the pasta and cook for 4 mins. Add the runner beans and cook together for 2 mins, then drain, reserving the water.
Gently heat the oil and ¾ of the butter in a large, high-sided frying pan over a medium heat. Stir in the pepper with a wooden spoon and cook for 1 min, then add in a ladleful of the pasta water and whisk vigorously until you have the beginnings of a smooth sauce. Add in the rest of the butter, the pasta and the beans and half the cheeses, and stir, shaking the pan as you go to mix everything together and release starch from the pasta to make it extra creamy. Add in the rest of the cheese and shake some more until it melts and you have a silky smooth sauce. Ladle in more pasta water to loosen it if necessary, and make sure the pasta is cooked. Season with salt and serve straightaway with extra pecorino and pepper.
