Pasta alla Gricia is a quick first course to prepare but yields a tasty, creamy result. The pasta — in this case I used rigacuore, but spaghetti or mezze maniche are commonly used — is enveloped in this intense cacio and pepper cream, all enriched by crispy guanciale!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4People
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 617.05 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 26.14 (g) of which sugars 0.46 (g)
- Proteins 13.14 (g)
- Fat 50.75 (g) of which saturated 19.53 (g)of which unsaturated 26.03 (g)
- Fibers 2.07 (g)
- Sodium 2,250.68 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 150 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 11 oz pasta (shape of your choice)
- 9 oz guanciale
- 3 oz pecorino romano (grated)
- to taste pepper
- to taste salt
Tools
- Frying Pan
- Cutting Board
Steps
First, prepare the guanciale by slicing it into pieces and then into strips. Be sure to remove the rind.
Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat and add the guanciale, letting it brown.
Let the guanciale fat render, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
The guanciale should be crispy and nicely golden. Then turn off the heat and transfer it to a bowl.
Do not discard the oil released by the guanciale — leave it in the pan.
Fill a pot with water, set it on the stove, bring to a boil and salt it.
Then add the pasta.
In a bowl, grate the pecorino and add ladles of the pasta cooking water, but let the water cool slightly so the pecorino doesn’t clump.
Add the pepper and create this cream that will dress the pasta.
Drain the pasta while still al dente directly into the pan with the cooking base and toss to finish cooking.
Turn off the heat and add the cacio and pepper cream.
Add some of the guanciale and toss to let the flavors meld.
Plate and garnish with the remaining crispy guanciale.
Serve and… enjoy your meal!
Pasta alla Gricia should be eaten immediately to avoid sticking and drying out, but if you really need to store it, you can reheat it in a pan with a ladle of water to bring back the creaminess.
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