Risotto Cacio e Pepe
Risotto Cacio e Pepe tastes just like the classic pasta dish, but with risotto rice instead of the pasta. It's creamy, peppery, and entirely delicious. Close your eyes, take a bite, and you'll swear that you're in Rome.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 319kcal
Ingredients
- 5 cups chicken broth see notes
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter divided
- 1 ½ cups Arborio rice see notes
- 1 cup Pecorino cheese finely grated
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese finely grated
- 1-2 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- In a medium-sized saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer. Turn the heat down to low.
- Add 2 tablespoon butter to a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Allow the butter to melt.
- Add the Arborio rice to the melted butter, stirring it around so that every grain of rice is coated in the butter. Stirring often, allow the rice to toast a bit. You'll notice that the exterior of the grains of rice become translucent, while the interior remains white.
- A couple of ladles at a time, add the warmed broth to the rice. Stir constantly. Once the liquid has been absorbed, add another couple of ladles. More stirring. Repeat this until most or all of the liquid had been incorporated and absorbed, and the rice has a nice tender bite to it. You may not use all of the broth.
- Turn off the heat and add both of the cheeses to the rice. Stir until they have melted and are incorporated throughout.
- Add the black pepper and kosher salt, stirring to incorporate, as well. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
- Just before serving, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter to the risotto, allow it to melt, and stir it throughout.
Notes
- I always have chicken stock on hand, so that's what I tend to use for risotto. If you'd like to make this vegetarian, you can opt for vegetable stock
- Also, related to the stock, you definitely want to take the little bit of extra time to heat it up. Adding cold or even room temperature stock to the rice will cool things down and really extend your cooking time.
- In lieu of Arborio rice, you can also use Carnaroli or Vialone Nano rices.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 319kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 1814mg | Sugar: 2g