I’ve come to the realization that very little about me is Type A. I am very bad at having any sort of schedule in my life. I don’t have a specific laundry day – I let my mountain of clothes tell me when that is. I have most of my bills set to autopay – I simply cannot be trusted with a due date on funds. And I rarely make a grocery list – I let the aisles speak to me.
In my day-to-day work as a chef instructor at The Chopping Block, I get asked what my favorite thing to cook is and it is always a tough answer for me because my favorite days cooking are when my liaise-faire grocery shopping habits get the better of me, and I have to figure out some sort of pantry meal for dinner. So, let’s take a journey and talk about the last time I scraped the bottom of the barrel to make a cacio-ish e pepe dish.
It was reaching 8:30pm one fateful evening when I remembered that I should probably have something for dinner. As my house crocs drummed the fatigued linoleum floor in my kitchen I had the instant pang of regret - I should’ve gone grocery shopping today. The consequences of my lack of action have struck again. While my phone stood by eagerly waiting for me to pick it up and place an order for something that would make my wallet and stomach upset, I bravely ignored it and cracked open the fridge to find a 32oz deli container filled with shredded parmesan cheese from my pasta party I had thrown the week prior. I couldn’t help but wonder, would shredded parmesan suffice as a full meal? I then remembered my stash of dried pasta in the pantry. After this my eyes landed on a stick of butter and then leaped across the room to my pepper grinder. We are making Cacio e Pepe.
Traditionally, this dish uses Pecorino Romano as the “cacio” in the dish so that’s why I throw the “-ish” onto the title of this meal. For a lot of people, Romano is a little too funky so feel free to make the swap if you so please. I felt pretty confident I could figure out making this dish without a recipe and it honestly worked out pretty well. So, here is my version of Cacio-ish E Pepe!
Cacio-ish e Pepe
Serves: 2
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
2-3 cups finely shredded Parmesan or Pecorino Romano
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups pasta shape of choice (I used cavatappi)
Freshly cracked black pepper
Fresh or dried oregano (I would ordinarily use dry but I had some fresh on hand)
1. Boil a large pot of water and add a generous amount of salt. Then when you think you have added enough… add some more salt. Once water is boiling, add in the pasta and cook until al dente which is usually a minute or two before the package says. It's important to pull a little early because we are going to continue to cook in a later step.
5. Continue simmering this until the pasta and sauce has slightly thickened. Remove from heat and add in black pepper and oregano.
If you are curious about some of my other kitchen experiments I have conducted, please join me at my Tasting Table demonstration on March 17, 2026 at 6pm. I will be talking about my time cooking in Ireland and sharing some of my favorite dishes. Hope to see you there!
It's also a great time to learn more about The Chopping Block's culinary tour to Ireland this June. Our small group of travelers will spend time at Ballymaloe Cookery School, which I attended. Despite what you may think, Ireland's culinary scene is the perfect setting for a foodie's vacation!
