Trader Joe’s Cacio e Pepe: A Love Story

Trader Joe’s Cacio e Pepe: A Love Story

Trader – The first time I had Trader Joe’s Cacio e Pepe, I thought it was the most magnificent thing I’d ever tasted. It seemed so simple, yet so good. The classic pasta dish was nothing more than Parmesan cheese and black pepper, yet it was extraordinary in its goodness. This creamy pasta dish blew my mind! Here’s how to make your own cacio e pepe at home using easy ingredients that you probably already have lying around the house, as well as how to make some variations on this recipe.

The beginning

Fashioned from a simple recipe that can be traced back to medieval times, Trader Joe’s cacio e pepe is a fresh and nutty bowl of pasta with peppery crumbs. What could be more quintessentially Italian than taking two common ingredients – pasta and cheese – in their simplest form, mixing them together in one pot, and calling it dinner? It couldn’t get any simpler than that. In Italy we call this style of dish cacio e pepe (pronounced chow-choh eh pay-pay) which means cheese and pepper. Traditionally, it is made with equal parts Parmesan and Pecorino Romano cheeses mixed with black pepper. Traditionally, the noodles are homemade or store-bought tagliatelle cut into 1/2 inch pieces. The cooking water should be boiling vigorously before adding the pasta and stirring until the water has evaporated enough for the sauce to cling to the pasta. That said, I prefer my Trader Joe’s version because I’m lazy and don’t want to use a knife or cook for long periods of time when I can just put something in a microwaveable container and heat it up later at my convenience. So I find myself buying these frozen, pre-cut linguine noodles from TJs when I want to whip up this dish on short notice or if I want an easy weeknight meal idea. All you have to do is take out a pouch of the pasta and place it in boiling water for 8 minutes. During those 8 minutes you can prepare your sauce by melting butter, whisking eggs, tossing cheese with flour and salt, then whisking it all together so you end up with a thick, pasty consistency. When your timer goes off remove the cooked pasta from the stovetop, drain them well and transfer them to the pan containing your bubbling sauce mixture. Let it all sit there together for about 2 minutes while giving everything another good stir so that all those delicious sauces mix evenly throughout each strand of linguine noodle. Then sprinkle some black pepper over top right before serving so you have some little bits of texture throughout your dish like little pops of flavor heaven!

The middle

I have been obsessed with Trader Joe’s Cacio e Pepe for about three years now. I’m not even sure where I first heard of it or why I like it so much, but for some reason Trader Joe’s cacio e pepe became my go-to pasta dish, and I never looked back. Trader Joe’s cacio e pepe (which means cheese and pepper in Italian) comes in a red sauce with finely ground black pepper, pecorino romano cheese, sea salt, anchovies, olive oil and garlic. It cooks in less than 10 minutes and has always made me feel kind of fancy. And it is way better than any boxed macaroni and cheese you could ever buy. The price? Just $2.79! I don’t know what else to say other than that this stuff is life changing, as cheesy as that sounds. My friends know how serious I am about the Trader Joe’s cacio e pepe because every time they come over, we cook it together. We all do a little dance when the microwave timer goes off and pour ourselves some wine to celebrate. I usually make a huge pot at least once a week and eat leftovers for days on end, which probably isn’t the best idea considering how many calories are in one serving size of the delicious meal. But hey, at least there are only five ingredients in this dish so you can enjoy your favorite dishes guilt free…right? A few nights ago, while cooking dinner with my roommate Emily, she asked if she could try my Trader Joe’s cacio e pepe recipe. Of course I said yes and offered her some pointers – to buy fresh parmesan instead of pre-grated because the flavor will be way better; use more parmesan; don’t add too much salt; use a good quality olive oil – before getting out of her way and letting her cook. After dinner was served, Emily complimented me on being such an amazing chef and asked for my secrets. 

Honestly, I said you’re doing everything right. 

It tastes just like yours! she exclaimed excitedly as she took another bite of our dinner.

The end

I hope you try Trader Joe’s cacio e pepe and fall in love with it as I have. If you’re looking for something different, look no further! And if you have the perfect recipe, share it with me below! Happy cooking and happy eating! 

Share your ideas and recipes with me on Twitter @matthewwinston. ______________________________________________ ____________________________

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