Lemon & Arugula Cacio e Pepe
Cacio e Pepe is a staple dish in our house. We tried it for the very first time a few years ago at a small Italian restaurant nearby called ITA101. We all immediately fell in love with this dish and have been making it ever since.
We have slightly over done it when it comes to making this recipe! It is such an easy recipe to follow and everyone always loves it, so we tend to make this dish a lot. To change things up with this recipe we decided to put a spin on it by adding lemon zest and arugula to the traditional Cacio e Pepe recipe. We loved how it came out. It gives the dish a summery twist that is too good not to give it a try!
Let us know if you have any ideas or ways you like to change up the traditional Cacio e Pepe recipe! We would love to try them!
Ingredients:
8 tbsp of unsalted butter
3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ tsp of coarse ground black pepper
5 oz of arugula
Zest of 1 lemon
½ cup of grated parmesan
1 pound of fresh or boxed spaghetti
Directions:
In a large skillet, melt the butter and olive oil; when butter has melted, add the black pepper; cook for approximately 3 minutes until the pepper is toasted and the butter foams then set aside
Cook the pasta according to directions; drain saving 1 cup of pasta water
Place the pasta in the skillet with the butter and the black pepper and keep on low heat tossing together pasta and butter
Add the cheese and pasta water until there is a creamy consistency; add the arugula and lemon zest tossing to coat and adding more pasta water if needed
