Cacio e Pepe Risotto is a delicious take on the classic Italian pasta dish. It's luscious and creamy with perfectly tender rice and plenty of fresh cracked pepper and freshly grated parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese.

KEY INGREDIENTS & SUBSTITUTIONS:

• Arborio Rice: A perfectly plump rice for risotto and easy to find in your local store. Check out more rice varieties you can use here.
• Vegetable Stock: If you have homemade that is preferable, but I used store-bought. You can also use chicken stock.
• Onion: White onion very finely chopped is best for this recipe.
• White Wine: Dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio) is ideal for cooking with, and make sure you get one you also want to drink. Not only because you want to cook with good quality ingredients, but also because you won't be using the whole bottle for this recipe, so you'll likely drink the remaining!
  • If you do not have/use alcohol in your household, skip this and supplement with additional broth.
• Parmesan Cheese/Pecorino Romano Cheese: You can use either/or, or a combination of both of these cheeses. It's important that they're freshly grated for optimal creaminess and infusion into the dish.
• Black Pepper: If you can use freshly grated, definitely do.

KITCHEN EQUIPMENT YOU'LL NEED:

• Stock pot
• Heavy-bottom pot
• Chef's knife
• Cutting board
• Measuring cups / spoons
• Ladle or ½ cup measure
• Cheese grater

HOW TO MAKE CACIO E PEPE RISOTTO:

1. Heat your stock. In a pot, heat your stock on low heat until warm but not simmering. Keep there for use throughout the cooking process.
2. Cook the onion. Sauté the onion with 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium heat until translucent, but not browned.
3. Toast the rice. To the cooked onion add the rice and toast it for about 1 minute.
4. Deglaze. To the onion and rice mixture, add the white wine to deglaze the pan. Then allow that to cook for about 2 minutes until most of the wine is absorbed.
5. Add the stock one ladle at a time. When the wine is mostly absorbed, start adding the stock to the rice one ladle-full at a time (about ½ cup), stirring almost constantly. Once each ladle-full is absorbed by the rice, add the next. Each will take about 4-5 minutes to fully absorb. All-in-all should take about 25-30 minutes.
6. Add the finishing ingredients. Once all the stock is absorbed. Add the butter, cheese, and black pepper. Mix until combined. Serve with additional cheese and black pepper if desired.

HOW TO KNOW WHEN RISOTTO IS DONE COOKING:

Throughout the cooking process you'll see the rice absorbing the liquid gradually, which gives it the best texture.

Your finished risotto should have plump, fluffy rice with a slightly al-dente and tender texture. It should be relatively creamy (sans the presence of actual cream).

WHAT IS RISOTTO AND WHAT ARE ITS ORIGINS?

Risotto is rice a dish from Northern Italy, traditionally cooked by slowly adding broth until it reaches a creamy consistency. This process allows the rice to gradually release its starches, resulting in a creamy dish. The broth can be derived from meat, fish, or vegetables. More info here.

The Arabs first brought rice to Italy in the 14th Century because the climate and land was ideal for growing rice. More info here.

HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT THIS CACIO E PEPE RISOTTO:

This is a very simple dish to store and reheat.

Similar to most dishes, store in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 5 days.

To reheat risotto, simply place it in the microwave for a few minutes (depending on the strength of your microwave) stirring mid-way through.

OTHER ITALIAN-INSPIRED DISHES:

• Perfect Creamy Tomato Sauce
• Creamy Roasted Garlic Gnocchi with Bacon
• Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

📖 Recipe

Cacio e Pepe Risotto

Cacio e Pepe Risotto is a delicious take on the classic Italian pasta dish. It's luscious and creamy with perfectly tender rice and plenty of fresh cracked pepper and freshly grated parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup arborio rice
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup yellow onion finely diced (about ½ large onion or 1 small onion)
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 ½ cups freshly grated parmesan and/or Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter

Instructions

• In a pot, heat your stock on low heat until warm but not simmering. Keep there for use throughout the cooking process.
• Sauté the onion with 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium heat until translucent, but not browned.
• To the cooked onion add the rice and toast it for about 1 minute.
• To the onion and rice mixture, add the white wine to deglaze the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes until most of the wine is absorbed.
• Once the wine is mostly absorbed, start adding the stock to the rice one ladle-full at a time (about ½ cup), stirring almost constantly. Once each ladle-full is absorbed by the rice, add the next. Each will take about 4-5 minutes to fully absorb. All-in-all should take about 25-30 minutes.
• Once all the stock is absorbed. Add the butter, cheese, and black pepper. Mix until combined. Serve with additional cheese and black pepper if desired.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 951kcal | Carbohydrates: 98g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 3036mg | Potassium: 346mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 2007IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 866mg | Iron: 5mg

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Risotto

Author: Haley

This Vegetarian Baked Ziti recipe is an actual breeze to put together and so absolutely delicious. It's a perfect meatless pasta that's special enough for a crowd but easy enough for a weeknight. Layers of pasta with homemade sauce and creamy cheese – can't go wrong!

INGREDIENT NOTES:

• Dried Pasta: This is baked ziti so of course ziti pasta is best. But you could really sub just about any tubular dried pasta – penne, rigatoni, and so on. Whole wheat would be good, too.
• Tomato Paste: This helps give a delicious deep tomato flavor.
• Crushed Tomatoes: The base of the tomato sauce.
• Onion: A key sauce ingredient.
• Garlic: Also a key sauce ingredient.
• Dried Herbs: I like a mixture of dried oregano, parsley, and thyme. You could also use Italian seasoning if that's what you have on hand.
• Cheese: This recipe calls for ricotta, parmesan, and mozzarella cheese. All very important for very different reasons! Ricotta for the traditional creaminess, parmesan for the salty tang, and mozzarella for the classic melty-ness throughout.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO COOK THIS:

• 9x13" baking dish
• 2x sauce pots (or pots of similar size)
• Medium sized bowl
• Mixing spoons
• Measuring cups/spoons

HOW TO MAKE VEGETARIAN BAKED ZITI:

As you'll see this meatless baked ziti comes together in just a few straightforward steps and makes plenty to serve a family and have more for leftovers. Serve with garlic bread for a delicious meal.

1. Make the sauce. In one of your sauce pots, sauté the onion and garlic in 2 tablespoon olive oil for 5 minutes – until slightly translucent. Then add the tomato paste, salt, and pepper, cook for 2 minutes more. Last, add the crushed tomatoes, dried herbs, and butter. Let this sit while you make the pasta.
2. Make the pasta. In your other sauce pot, boil water and cook pasta al dente (about 1 or 2 minutes shy of the package directions). Drain and return to the pot. Do not rinse.
3. Coat the pasta. To the cooked and drained pasta, add 1 cup of sauce and stir to combine.
4. Prep the cheese. In a bowl, combine the ricotta, parmesan, and 1 cup of mozzarella.
5. Assemble. In your 9x13 baking dish, first put a thin layer of sauce. Then add half the pasta, then dollop half the ricotta cheese mixture and pour half the remaining sauce. Repeat - pasta, cheese, sauce. Then finish with the remaining 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese.
6. Bake. In a 350℉ bake covered with tinfoil for 20 minutes, uncovered for 10 more. Broil for 5 at the end if you want the browned tops.

CAN I USE STORE-BOUGHT TOMATO SAUCE?

Sure! I am very specific about the sauces I like, so I prefer to make them homemade. But you can absolutely use a jar of your favorite sauce. 32oz should be good.

CAN I ADD VEGETABLES TO BAKED ZITI?

Of course! You can layer cooked vegetables right in there with the sauce and cheese. Zucchini, eggplant, broccoli, cauliflower, or peppers would be great.

HOW TO STORE VEGETARIAN BAKED ZITI AND HOW LONG IT LASTS:

To properly store baked ziti, put it in an air-tight container and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheating is best done in the microwave.

MORE DELICIOUS PASTA DISHES:

• Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
• Roasted Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
• Creamy Tomato Sauce
• Corn and Tomato Pasta

📖 Recipe

Vegetarian Baked Ziti

This Vegetarian Baked Ziti recipe is an actual breeze to put together and so absolutely delicious. It's a perfect meatless pasta that's special enough for a crowd but easy enough for a weeknight. Layers of pasta with homemade sauce and creamy cheese – can't go wrong!

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb dried ziti pasta
• 15 oz ricotta cheese
• 3 cups mozzarella cheese shredded, separated (1 cup + 2 cups)
• ½ cup parmesan cheese grated

Sauce:

• 1 ½ cups yellow onion diced (about ½ large onion)
• 1 tablespoon garlic minced (about 4 cloves)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 28 oz crushed tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350℉.
• To make the sauce:In one of your sauce pots, sauté the onion and garlic in 2 tablespoon olive oil for 5 minutes – until slightly translucent. Then add the tomato paste, salt, and pepper, cook for 2 minutes more.
• Last, add the crushed tomatoes, dried herbs, and butter. Let this sit while you make the pasta.
• In your other sauce pot, boil water and cook pasta al dente (about 1 or 2 minutes shy of the package directions). Drain and return to the pot. Do not rinse.
• To the cooked and drained pasta, add 1 cup of tomato sauce and stir to combine.
• In a bowl, combine the ricotta, parmesan, and 1 cup of mozzarella.
• In your 9x13 baking dish, first put a thin layer of sauce. Then add half the pasta with sauce, then dollop half the ricotta cheese mixture and pour half the remaining sauce (it's ok if the cheese and sauce don't completely cover the pasta).
• Repeat - pasta, cheese, sauce. Then finish with the remaining 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese.
• Bake covered with tinfoil for 20 minutes, uncovered for 10 more. Broil for 5 at the end if you want the browned tops.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 702kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 1135mg | Potassium: 780mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1212IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 611mg | Iron: 4mg

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Pasta

Author: Haley