The easiest Instant Pot cacio e pepe recipe—just 4 ingredients, 10 minutes, and one pot gets you the creamiest, cheesiest Instant Pot cacio e pepe ever!
Are you ready for the simplest fancy recipe you’ve ever made? Meet this Instant Pot cacio e pepe recipe.
I first had cacio e pepe at Rose’s Luxury in DC, when it was named the best new restaurant in the country in 2014 by Bon Appétit. Back then, we didn’t have the Instant Pot, much less the wonder that is this recipe.
We went to Rose’s for the first time a few years ago for my birthday and stood in line in the freezing cold for an hour, waiting for them to open. They don’t take reservations and had just made the best new restaurant list, so we were not the only fools twiddling our gloved thumbs on the sidewalk.
When we finally made it in in, we ordered just about everything, but as usual, my favorite thing was the simplest thing. It was the Cacio e Pepe pasta.
So, of course, I thought about it for the next 11 ½ months. And of course, it was no longer on the menu, so I couldn’t even go back for it. How could I possibly recreate it at home? How had they done it? There was no way to find out. I was stuck.
Then last week I remembered: THE INTERNET! Yes, the internet. Forgot about that thing. And what do you know, just one Google away, Aaron Silverman shared the recipe on Garden & Gun’s website. [Update: G&G has since taken down the recipe.] So, yeah. All my pining was for naught.
After I mastered the stovetop cacio e pepe recipe, I moved on to trying it as a one pot cacio e pepe recipe. And then I HAD to adapt it for the Instant Pot next.
Why I love this Instant Pot cacio e pepe recipe
This Instant Pot cacio e pepe recipe is a minimalist dream, made with just 4 ingredients and ready in under 10 minutes. It’s nothing but pasta, cheese, pepper, and butter. Lots and lots of butter. It is very healthy.
I made it for dinner last week and moaned euphorically with every bite because ohmygod it is so good. So so good.
Things I am told I said to Jarrett in my delirium while eating this Instant Pot cacio e pepe recipe:
“This is the best day of my entire life.”
“It’s so good I could cry. I may cry.”
“Stop eating that. It’s mine.”
So what is the moral of this story, you ask? It’s that simple food is the happiest food.
So get ready to get very happy with this Instant Pot cacio e pepe recipe.
Instant Pot Cacio e Pepe Recipe
This Instant Pot Cacio e Pepe recipe is the easiest, creamiest, 5 ingredient cacio e pepe recipe you could want!
Ingredients
- 1 lb spaghetti (1 package)
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 3 ½ cups water
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 cups parmesan
- 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper (You want a medium grind, not too coarse and not powdery.)
Instructions
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Pour 3 ½ cups water into the Instant Pot. Break 1 lb. of spaghetti in half then place in the Instant Pot and add 1 ½ teaspoons salt. Add 4 tablespoons of butter, cut into cubes.
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Lock the lid and set the pressure release to Sealing. Select the Manual setting and set the timer to 5 minutes.
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While the pasta cooks, grate 3 cups parmesan (if not pregrated) and grind 2 teaspoons black pepper into a small bowl. Cut remaining 6 tablespoons butter into cubes.
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When the timer goes off, move the pressure release knob to Venting, using a towel to protect your hand. Press cancel to reset the cooking method, then open the pot and select the Saute setting.
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Add the parmesan, pepper, and remaining butter. Allow to cook for several minutes until sauce has thickened and coated the spaghetti. Taste and add more salt and pepper to taste.
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Serve warm, topped with an extra sprinkle of parmesan and black pepper.
Want another ridiculously easy pasta recipe? This is one of my favorites:
One-pot harissa bolognese
Cheers!