Cacio e Pepe with Peas and Favas Recipe (2024)

For convenience sake, I would recommend using frozen peas and fava beans. If I had time to shell peas and peel fava beans, I would have time to cook something else. Cacio e Pepe is supposed to be a dish that can be prepared in about the time that it takes to cook pasta.

Picked up fava beans at the farmers market yesterday. Drove 5 hours to the cabin. Invited neighbours in for dinner - had this on the table 30 minutes start to finish. Fantastic! Mini tweaks - a big dollop of creme fraiche and lemon zest added to the final toss. Used an organic linguine from Monastero Di Montebello, Italy. Definitely on the easy and good list.

This dish is too rich. If I make it again I would use half the cheese. As it were, I sued half the amount of butter.

Didn't have pecorino or chives. Didn't matter. This was quick, easy and delicious, especially since I shelled everything the day before. I added the peas and skinned Favas to the sauce before the pasta and cheese since they had come out of the fridge and I wanted them to heat through. You may want to add more pepper to taste.

This dish is perfect! In the past, I've struggled with Cacio e Pepe. The cheese would seize and make a globby mess, but Melissa's technique here worked like a charm. I added the pasta to the skillet and stirred before adding the cheese and served up perfectly coated, flavorful pasta! I didn't find the dish too rich at all and have made it with the peas and fava beans, with slivered asparagus, and with no add-ins. It's delicious!

try with asparagus and peas

This recipe is a home run. Followed the recipe exactly. Even though fresh fava beans are a pain, they’re worth it. However, we two are retired and have time to share shelling and skinning. The fresh peas were the first we had this year. I have no problem altering the original cacio e pepe with the addition of the vegetables. I added a little more than 1/4 C pasta water to loosen the sauce but this surely varies for all cooks. We will make this numerous times this summer-again, a home run

Easy to make an okay version..treacherous to make well. The secret to Cacio e Pepe is in the exact nature of the pasta you are using, the moisture level of the cheese, how far along in the cooking process the pasta is when you put it in the pan, and how much water is required to create the creamy sauce. In my experience, 1/4 cup would never make it. I usually use at least a cup of that lovely pasta water to get what I think of as something resembling what I get in Italy.

Melissa Clark solved the clumping problem with cacio e pepe. Genis.

Meat gets recommended rarer and rarer and pasta gets recommended more and more al dente. Someday soon we will be sitting here and eating our raw meat and uncooked pasta.

I subbed more peas for the fava beans and used frozen peas. So delish and quick.

Oy! 35 mins to peel (& blanch & peel again) fava beans & peas? Try ~2 hrs. That said, they were my garden favas & peas & I'm retired, so I have the time. Followed the recipe adding a few more favas & peas & finishing with more grated cheese on top. Liked it, but didn't love it. Guess I just like a little more "sauce" w/ my pasta - personal preference for sure.

The favas I used definitely needed more than one minute in the boiling water. They were ready to be peeled, but were not cooked enough (at least for our taste), so that was a huge disappointment. The pasta was perfect!

Wonderful! We made exactly as written, and my husband commented he felt like we were in Italy. We used our own fava beans and peas from the garden and it is definitely worth the effort. And I have to say, when you have a glass of wine, and you’re sitting in the sun shines shelling with your family, I didn’t feel like much of an effort at all.

Delicious and easy! The only time consuming part was shelling the fresh fava beans. I used frozen peas and it came out great. I blanched the beans and peas in the pot of water first, then salted the water more and cooked the pasta in it. I will definitely use this recipe to make plain ol' Cacio Pepe next time (without the beans and peas). The cheese melted into it perfectly...no cheesy globs!

Added zest of one lemon, no chives on hand, but lovely way to use fresh fava beans. Shelling/peeling a bit of a pain but worth it.

Fresh spring time colors and flavors accompanied by course black pepper, formaggio, and chives, but the dish does not “pop”. 1/4 cup pasta water definitely helps make the sauce more creamy.

I agree about frozen peas, but fresh fave make this dish. I cook the peas with the pasta for the last few minutes, otherwise followed the recipe as is. I think the nutty flavour of wholewheat spaghetti adds a nice complexity as well (but definitely use Italian pasta).

Made with egg tagliatelle, fresh favas from the farmers market, and frozen peas. Easy (besides peeling the favas), impressive, and tasted amazing. Will definitely make again.

I like the addition of peas and fave beans. However, the butter, albeit a small amount, ruined it all for me. The pasta turned out greasy. Originally there’s no butter in cacao e pepe. Just bucatini, pecorino, and lots of cracked pepper.

“Uh-oh,” my spouse said as I unloaded the fava beans from our CSA box. “Honestly, I’ve never liked those,” he said, and neither have I despite 25 years as a vegetarian. But Melissa comes to the rescue! Pairing them with (frozen) peas accentuates the fresh favas’ sweetness, yet this came out more sophisticated than the America’s Test Kitchen mac & cheese with peas, that I assumed this would resemble. FYI, I used manchego instead of pecorino — tasted great. Thanks for saving dinner again!

This is my new, favorite caccio e pepe recipe. It's amazing, and yes, I shelled the fava beans. Topped with fresh arugula and it's a beautiful spring meal. So yummy!

Fava beans better with a gricia sauce. It sweetens the guanciale base

Toasting peppercorns for a few minutes in a small skillet until fragrant, grinding in a mortar and pestle, and then mixing in with the butter adds a whole level of umami - you will be transported to a café on the streets of Rome. Enjoy.

Add a bit more pepper than the recipe says if you want it to resemble typical NY Italian joints. Also cook on a iron cast skillet. It tastes heavenly.