Cacio e Pepe

Just cheese, pepper, and pasta water make up this Roman classic, but the emulsion is famously tricky to get right; master it and you'll have a two-ingredient sauce that tastes like pure comfort.

Why You'll Love This

• Only three real ingredients, yet endlessly satisfying
• Toasting the peppercorns unlocks a smoky depth most versions skip
• A genuine test-and-master technique dish for building pasta-water sauce skills