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The simplest Zucchini Cacio e Pepe with Brown Butter. Classic Cacio e Pepe made easy with the addition of sautéed garlic zucchini and rich brown butter. The secret to Cacio e Pepe is freshly cracked black pepper, high-quality cheese, and some good arm work to toss your pasta. Nothing fancy, but each bowl of pasta is wonderfully delicious.
Carrying on with our simple summer cooking, we’ve got a perfect bowl of Cacio e Pepe. Normally, I wouldn’t get overly excited about a recipe such as Cacio e Pepe. It’s so, so delicious, but a very simple recipe. I usually share dishes with a few more ingredients. But while I was in LA I had a plate of Cacio e Pepe that reminded me just how good the simple Italian pasta can be.
It was a much cheesier, peppery Cacio e Pepe, and honestly, it was by far the best I’ve had. That plate got me excited to try my own variation at home. It’s perfect for busy summer days.
First, this is just my take on Cacio e Pepe. It is by no means the classic recipe, just a version I’ve been making.
I wanted to add a summery element. So I added zucchini, garlic, and fresh basil. Just 3 simple additions, but they add a pop of summer freshness that we love.
And then the browned butter. It’s not an ingredient add, it’s just cooked a little differently than what’s traditionally done. And it makes all the difference.
Here are the details
Cacio e Pepe literally means cheese and pepper. It’s like mac and cheese, but simpler. And in my book, a little bit of an upgrade, or maybe I should say, more of an adult version. When looking at the recipe you might think it seems basic, that’s because it is basic. But with quality ingredients – pasta, butter, fresh black pepper, and a really good cheese, it’s perfect.
Start with the pasta. I used rigatoni, but any cut works well. Bucatini is more traditional, though it’s often made with other cuts of pasta today.
Boil-off the pasta and save plenty of the pasta cooking water. The water is used to make the sauce.
While the pasta boils, cook the zucchini with garlic until it gets a little golden. Pull it out of the pan and start making the sauce. I like to add basil to the zucchini too, it’s delicious!
Back in that same skillet, you need to toast the black pepper. Then add half of the butter, the cooked pasta, both the parmesan and pecorino, and the pasta cooking water. Then toss to melt. This is a cheesier Cacio e Pepe, so really give it a good tossing to melt the cheese and form a nice sauce.
Once the cheese has melted, mix in the zucchini, plus fresh basil.
Finally, brown the last bit of butter in a small skillet. This might seem like an unnecessary extra step but it takes just a few minutes and adds a lot. Add a drizzle of brown butter over the pasta with a grating of fresh cheese. It’s delightful and makes each bowl of summery pasta taste rich and indulgent.
Serve this with a simple arugula, spinach, or summer fruit salad. The perfect meal, and we love how quickly this comes together too!
Looking for other simple pasta dinners? Here are a few of my go-to’s.
One Pot Lemon Butter Ricotta and Zucchini Pasta
Pesto Cheese Zucchini Ravioli with Burst Tomatoes
Spicy Zucchini Ricotta Lasagna with Oregano Breadcrumbs
Cherry Tomato Pasta Alla Vodka
Roasted Tomato Basil and Feta Orzo
Lastly, if you make this Zucchini Cacio e Pepe with Brown Butter, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Zucchini Cacio e Pepe with Brown Butter
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 414 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 zucchini or yellow summer squash, sliced
- 1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
- kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino cheese
- fresh basil
Instructions
- 1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Just before draining, reserve 1 1/4 cups of the pasta cooking water. Drain.2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the zucchini, garlic, and season with salt. Cook until the zucchini is golden, 5 minutes. Remove from the skillet to a plate. 3. Working in the same skillet, add the pepper and cook 30 seconds, until toasted. Add 4 tablespoons butter, then the pasta, 1 cup pasta cooking water, the parmesan, and pecorino. Toss vigorously to melt the cheese. Add the remaining 1/4 cup water, the zucchini, and season with salt. Toss well. 4. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat, cook until the butter browns, 3-4 minutes. 5. Plate the pasta and spoon the butter over each serving. Top with fresh basil. Eat!
Delicious, easy, and beautiful! A whole family pleaser, which isn’t easy with 2 littles. Thank you for the great recipes!
Hey Bethany,
Thanks so much for your comment and sharing your feedback! I am glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for trying it out! xTieghan
This recipe was delicious Tieghan! So simple to come together and the cracked pepper was just enough for a slight peppery taste! Thanks. Have a great time in Mexico! I’m making the street corn for a BBQ Monday!!
Kari
Hey Kari,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks for sharing your feedback and making this recipe, I am so glad it was a hit! Happy 4th of July!??
Easy and delicious. I shared with a next door neighbor and we both enjoyed.
Hi Marleen,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks for sharing your feedback and making this recipe, I am so glad it was a hit! Happy 4th of July!??
This pasta is amazing. I love combination of the cacio e pepe with the zucchini. The browned butter on top is an extra bonus.
Hey Margeaux,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe and sharing your review. I love that it was enjoyed!! Happy 4th of July weekend!??
LOVED this recipe! It was easy to follow and had simple ingredients. The cheese clumped slightly in all the right places! The brown butter was a great addition. I will definitely make this again!
Hey Karen,
Awesome!! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it and sharing your feedback!! 🙂
My cheese clumped up and stuck to the squash. I used freshly grated of both cheeses, stirred and stirred. Cheese sat out about 1/2 hour or so prior to adding. Sauce was watery rather than cheesy. I really want this to work. Any advice…..
Hi Jacquelyn,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, sorry to hear about the cheese issue. I really don’t have any more tips than freshly grated, room temp cheese, and consistent stirring. Was there anything else you may have adjusted in the recipe? xx
This has happened to me with cacio e pepe too! The cheese became a solid clump. weird.
Help. My 2nd time of making Cacio e Pepe The cheese just clumps up. With this one the cheese is all stuck to the zucchini. Please advise.
Cheese was freshly grated about 30 minutes prior to making.
Hi Jacqueline, I think that is a common problem. Smitten Kitchen lists an interesting method of pre-blending the cheese, pepper, and cold water to make a paste and then adding the warmer pasta water after mixing the pasta with the paste – maybe you could pair those instructions with this recipe? Might work! This recipe sounds more flavorful so I will be trying that in future myself
https://smittenkitchen.com/2018/09/foolproof-cacio-e-pepe/
Hi Jacquelyn,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try. A few things….did you use freshly grated parmesan? Was it at room temp? Were you tossing the cheese in the noodles until the cheese melted. These could make all the difference in the dish! Let me know how I can help! xx
Phenomenal. And so easy!!! Thank you for this recipe!❤️
Hi Jen,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!!? xTieghan
Flavors were amazing! I absolutely loved how easy this recipe came together but tastes fancy. Super bonus:my 1.5 and 3.5 year old picky kiddos DEVOURED it, I haven’t been able to get them to eat dinner like this in a while!
I have some tweaking to do for next time but this will definitely makes it’s way into the rotation of staples! I didn’t have basil so I skipped that but definitely want some for next time. My sauce was more runny than I wanted so I skipped the 1/4 pasta water and brown butter but still delicious! My cheese also clumped pretty bad so I’m not sure if I should have added it slower instead of all at once or what happened there. Overall still delicious and so easy to make!
Hey Debra,
Thank you so much for sharing your feedback and what worked well for you. Sorry to hear about the cheese. I would say for next time, be sure to use freshly grated, make sure it is room temperature, and stir constantly until it is fully melted. I hope this helps! xTieghan
This was delicious!! Definitely a keeper recipe!! Thanks!!!
Hi Tracy,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for your review:) Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! xx
This was absolutely delicious. I made as directed. Super easy but doesn’t taste like it. Thanks!
Hey Beth,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xTieghan
Ohhh noooo – I did not love this one. The cheese got too thick and clumpy. I used a real Italian cheese (similar to parm…my in law brought it straight from Italy) and I didn’t love that I had clumps of cheese. I was hoping cheese would melt into the pasta water situation and absorb into the pasta. I’ll keep working for the perfect cacio e Pepe.
Hi Meg,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, sorry to hear you had some clumps of cheese. Was your cheese room temp? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
She must have used mozerella it’s a bit different once melted
I made this tonight for the first time. Great recipe! It was absolutely delicious. Thank you. ?
Hi Maria,
Happy Monday!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go! xxT
Loved this! I added sun dried tomatoes cause I had them. With or without them, this was a great meal and I’ll be making it again ( soon,lol)
Hi Lisa,
Happy Monday!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go! xxT
Wow this is good!!! I didn’t have pecorino so I just used more Parmesan. And I didn’t make the brown butter. I know, I know!! But I cut the recipe in half and didn’t pay attention and put in ALL the butter in the dish before the brown butter finish. Next time I’ll pay closer attention and make the brown butter. Even without it, SO good!! Roasted some chicken breasts to have with it. Yummy!
Hey Sarah,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and making this recipe:) I love to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan