Vegetarian

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

grocery Ingredients

• 7 oz (198g) Pecorino Romano, finely grated
• 2 tsp Black pepper, freshly ground, mixed coarse and fine
• 11 oz (312g) Spaghetti
• 2 cup Water
• Salt, to taste

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Grind the black pepper to a mix of medium-coarse and fine using a mortar and pestle or an adjustable pepper grinder.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil using about 2 cups of water for every 4 ounces of pasta; salt the water less than usual or not at all depending on the saltiness of the pecorino.
3. Start cooking the spaghetti in the boiling water and cook until it is halfway done.
4. While the pasta is boiling, toast the ground pepper in a skillet over very low heat until fragrant, about a minute; do not overheat or burn it.
5. When the pepper is toasted, add three ladles of pasta water to the skillet and simmer over very low heat to infuse the water with pepper while the pasta finishes the first phase.
6. Transfer the pasta from the pot to the pepper-infused skillet, add one to two ladles more pasta water, and continue cooking until the pasta is al dente; reserve the remaining pasta water.
7. Make the pecorino paste by combining 7 ounces (200 g) of freshly finely grated pecorino romano with 3.5 ounces (about one ladle) of warm (not hot) pasta water, mixing to form a thick paste with a ricotta-like consistency; if needed, let the pasta water cool in a cup for about a minute before adding.
8. When the pasta is cooked al dente, remove the skillet from the heat and wait about a minute to slightly cool.
9. Add the pecorino paste to the skillet and vigorously mix the cheese with the pasta using tongs until the sauce becomes a velvety, creamy crema and is no longer runny.
10. Finish with a sprinkle of fresh pecorino and additional freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately.

crowdsource Community Insights

This comes together fast, and people who made it tended to tweak just a couple small things. People who toasted both sides of the bread before spreading mayo or butter preferred the finished texture. Others who simply used butter instead of another spread also liked how it came out. If you want a quick serving idea, some people slice and serve it with a pickle alongside. None of these are required, but they're the simple choices cooks kept coming back to when they made this.

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

grocery Ingredients

• Bread, sliced (or Wonderbread, sourdough)
• Mayonnaise (or butter)
• 3 slice American cheese, sliced
• Gruyere, shredded, rind removed
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• Potato chips, crunchy

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Remove the rind from the Gruyere and shred the cheese using a box grater held upright (grate on the side).
2. Preheat a non-stick pan over medium-low heat.
3. Spread mayonnaise evenly on the outside faces of the bread slices.
4. Place one mayonnaise-side-down slice of bread in the preheated pan.
5. Layer American cheese slices on the bread in the pan (about three slices).
6. Add shredded Gruyere on top of the American cheese, pressing or spreading it toward the edges.
7. Season the inside of the assembled sandwich with salt and black pepper.
8. Top with the second slice of bread, mayonnaise-side-up, and continue to cook over medium-low heat.
9. Cook slowly, checking occasionally, until the bottom is browned and the cheese begins to melt (you can lift the top slice slightly — if it sticks, the cheese is melting).
10. Flip the sandwich and cook the other side until both sides are nicely browned and crisp and any leaked cheese at the edges is crispy.
11. Transfer the sandwich to a plate and cut in half with a downward motion.
12. Serve immediately; optionally serve with a handful of crunchy potato chips.

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

grocery Ingredients

• 200g Pecorino Romano
• 100g Grana Padano
• 4g Black pepper
• 1/2 spoon Hot water
• Cold water
• 50g Olive oil
• 3g Corn starch, mixed with cold water
• 100g Rigatoni, semolina dry pasta

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Combine 200 gram Pecorino Romano and 100 gram Grana Padano in a blender with 200 gram hot water and blend until smooth.
2. Add about 50 gram olive oil to the blender and blend again.
3. Mix 3 gram corn starch with some cold water to make a slurry, add it to the blender mixture and blend again.
4. Take hot water from the boiler and bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
5. Note: this kind of rigatoni has 8 minutes of cooking on the package. Put 100 gram rigatoni into the boiling water and cook; in the video they wait 10 minutes.
6. For 100 gram of pasta, add about half a spoon (0.5 spoon) of hot water while combining the pasta with the sauce.
7. Toss the cooked rigatoni with the prepared cheese sauce in a pan and flip until the sauce boils and emulsifies (the sauce can reach ~100°C but will not break because of the corn starch).
8. Stop the heat and leave the pasta in the pan for a few minutes.
9. Plate the pasta with the sauce and finish with additional Pecorino cheese and black pepper on top.

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Reliable Results: It turns out well consistently, with few reported problems.
• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

grocery Ingredients

• 170g pasta
• 100-120g pecorino romano
• Pecorino rind, removed
• 7g black peppercorns, lightly crushed (or Tellicherry peppercorns, other black peppercorns)
• Sea salt, small handful
• 1 ladle pasta cooking water, starchy

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Fill a pot with just enough water to cover the pasta and bring it to a boil.
2. Add a small handful of sea salt to the boiling water.
3. Prep the pecorino romano: remove the rind and set the rind aside; place the cheese for use in a mixing bowl (cover and refrigerate if making ahead).
4. Measure and lightly crush 7 grams of black peppercorns, leaving a variety of particle sizes.
5. Toast three quarters of the crushed pepper in a stainless steel or non-stick pan for about 20 seconds, until fragrant.
6. Add a ladle of starchy pasta cooking water to the toasted pepper and mix, then add the reserved cheese rind to the pan.
7. Add the pasta to the boiling water and set a timer for 6 minutes.
8. When the pasta is ready to be transferred, remove the cheese rind from the pan, add the pasta to the peppery pan, and add some pasta water; finish cooking the pasta in the sauce to al dente, adding more pasta water as needed like when making risotto to keep the sauce loose.
9. Once the pasta is al dente, kill the heat and let the pan sit off the heat for about 20 seconds.
10. Off the heat, add the pecorino little by little, stirring and scraping the sides to emulsify the cheese into a creamy sauce; add small amounts of pasta water as necessary to keep the sauce smooth and prevent clumping.
11. Finish by adding the remaining cheese and the rest of the crushed pepper, then serve.

crowdsource Community Insights

People who made this found a couple of small things that change the result. Some people buttered both sides of the bread before cooking and liked the extra even browning and crisp; other people purposely didn’t butter the bread, so pick the texture you prefer. What often caused trouble was metal on a non-stick pan, people who used metal spatulas or other metal utensils scraped the surface, so either be careful or use something gentler. Also, some people added sliced onion and liked the flavor it gave.

grocery Ingredients

• 1 centimeter white bloomer, about 1 centimeter thick slices
• Butter, room temperature
• Cheddar cheese, grated (or Red Leicester, any cheese that melts well)
• Cayenne pepper
• Ketchup
• Mango chutney

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Slice the white bloomer about 1 centimeter thick.
2. Lightly butter both sides of each slice with room-temperature butter.
3. Grate the cheese using a box grater.
4. Pile a handful of grated cheese onto one buttered slice, squeeze together to form a sandwich.
5. Heat a frying pan over low to medium heat.
6. Place the sandwich in the pan and place a weight on top to press it flat; cook for about 3 minutes on the first side until golden and the middle is oozy.
7. Flip the sandwich and cook the other side for about 3 minutes until golden.
8. Remove the sandwich from the pan, then grate a layer of cheese around the bottom of the pan.
9. Place the sandwich on top of the grated cheese in the pan and cook for about 1.5 minutes to bring out different flavors and for the cheese fat to split.
10. Sprinkle a tiny pinch of cayenne over the cheese, hold/press the sandwich for about 30 seconds to create a crispy cheese crown.
11. Add a little more cheese in the middle, then turn the sandwich four times.
12. Leave the sandwich to rest for two minutes before eating.
13. Serve with ketchup or mango chutney if desired.

crowdsource Community Insights

This one works best when people skip the cream, using cream was a common misstep. What most cooks leaned on instead was pasta water plus careful butter/cheese handling: melt some butter with the cheese and a splash of pasta water, keep back the rest of the butter to glaze the noodles, and avoid stirring cheese into very hot liquid or it can coagulate. If you want a richer or more heat-stable finish, some people added extra cheese or a sturdier cheese like Pecorino, and others treated it as a platform for sautéed shrimp or chicken as a variation.

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

grocery Ingredients

• 250g fresh egg fettuccine
• 200g Pecorino cheese, grated (or Parmesan (Parmigiano-Reggiano))
• 80g butter
• 1 tbsp salt (or rock salt, sea salt)
• 1/2 cup reserved pasta water, hot

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon rock salt or sea salt.
2. Cook 250 g fresh egg fettuccine in the boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes until al dente; quickly mix while cooking.
3. Reserve pasta water: transfer about 1/2 cup hot pasta water into a bowl.
4. Add 200 g grated Pecorino Romano to the bowl with the reserved pasta water and stir so the hot water melts the cheese and turns it into a runny cream; add a little more pasta water if needed and keep some extra reserved.
5. Melt 80 g butter in the (large) pot over low heat.
6. Add the drained al dente pasta to the melted butter with a little of the reserved pasta water and set the heat to low; toss so the pasta absorbs the butter.
7. Place the bowl with the cheese-and-pasta-water mixture on top of the hot pot so steam keeps it warm, then add the cheese mixture to the pasta and toss vigorously to combine into a creamy sauce; if the sauce is too thick add more reserved pasta water, and if it is too thin return to very low heat and cook briefly while stirring until it thickens.
8. Serve immediately; optionally top with additional cheese or freshly ground pepper if desired.

grocery Ingredients

• 12 oz (340g) pasta, bronze-cut
• 4 1/2 cup water
• 2 tbsp cheese
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, toasted and ground

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Toast whole peppercorns in a skillet until aromatic, then grind or mash them in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.
2. Put 12 ounce pasta and 4 and 1/2 cups of water in a skillet and cook over medium-high heat.
3. During cooking add 2 tablespoons of cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper; continue cooking until the pasta is very al dente with about 1 cup of cooking liquid remaining.
4. Add half of the cheese mixture and vigorously stir and toss the pasta so the starchy liquid emulsifies with the cheese and the cheese melts into a creamy sauce.
5. Remove the skillet from the heat, sprinkle about 1 teaspoon ground pepper over the pasta, and let the pasta sit for 1 to 2 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken and stabilize.

crowdsource Community Insights

This batch of cooks found the dish works best when you keep the steps clear. People who cooked the onions first avoided burned garlic and undercooked onions that happen when everything goes in at once. The ones who added a can of tomatoes, often with a little tomato paste, and let the sauce cook longer got a deeper tomato flavor. And cooks who drained the pasta and added it to the sauce at the end ended up with a more cohesive plate, because the pasta picks up the sauce better. Everyone who tried it said they'd make it again.

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

grocery Ingredients

• Spaghetti
• Salt, to taste
• Olive oil
• Garlic, minced
• Celery, finely minced
• Onion, minced
• Tomatoes, peeled by blanching
• Button mushrooms, finely minced (or cremini mushrooms, porcini mushrooms)
• Parsley, finely chopped
• Basil, fresh leaves
• Black peppercorns, lightly crushed
• 1 cup reserved pasta water

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Fill water and salt it until it is as salty as sea water.
2. Add the spaghetti without breaking it: start with half submerged and, as the submerged portion softens, slowly slide the rest into the vessel.
3. Blanch the spaghetti for 8 to 9 Minutes until a little underdone (al dente).
4. Reserve a cup full of the pasta cooking liquid, then strain the spaghetti.
5. Drizzle a little olive oil on the strained spaghetti to keep the strands separate and prevent sticking.
6. Add good quality olive oil to the cooking vessel, then add the minced garlic.
7. Add the finely minced celery, then the minced onion and cook until the onions have lightly started sweating.
8. Add the peeled/blanched tomatoes and some salt; cook until the tomatoes become like a stew.
9. Add the finely minced button mushrooms to the tomato stew.
10. Add the finely chopped parsley and the fresh basil and stir them in.
11. Add the lightly crushed black peppercorns.
12. Add a little of the reserved pasta water to the sauce to thicken it with the starch.
13. Add the blanched spaghetti to the sauce and toss to combine.
14. Plate the spaghetti by twirling it onto a pasta plate, spoon the sauce over it, drizzle extra virgin olive oil on top, and finish with basil leaves as garnish.

crowdsource Community Insights

This recipe is simple and most people who made it found that less is more: most stuck to pasta, butter, salt, pepper, plenty of good Parmigiano Reggiano, and used the starchy pasta water to bind the sauce. People who added cream usually regretted it, it wasn’t needed and tended to hide the cheese-and-butter character. When the sauce seemed thin, the common fix was adding some reserved pasta water and stirring until it came together. Cooks who followed those three basics were happiest with the results.

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

grocery Ingredients

• Fresh fettuccine
• Salt, to taste
• 2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup lemon juice, fresh
• 1 lemon zest, zested
• Butter
• 2 cup Parmesan cheese, broken into chunks
• Fresh nutmeg, grated
• White pepper

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Zest one lemon and reserve the zest.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and salt the water.
3. Cook the fresh fettuccine in the salted boiling water for about 4 to 5 minutes; the pasta will finish cooking in the cream sauce.
4. Heat a pan over low heat and add 2 cups heavy cream; keep the cream on low and do not bring it to a boil.
5. Add about 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice to the cream, taking care not to let seeds get into the cream.
6. Add the reserved lemon zest to the cream.
7. Add butter (a lot) to the cream and stir.
8. Break off chunks of Parmesan cheese and grate them (for example, in a food processor).
9. When the pasta still has a slight bite, add the pasta to the cream sauce to finish cooking.
10. Keep the heat low, add a little bit more cream, then stir in about 2 cups grated Parmesan, some of the lemon zest, grated fresh nutmeg, a little salt, and white pepper.
11. Toss the pasta in the sauce until the pasta has absorbed the sauce and is coated; plate and serve.

grocery Ingredients

• 300g fettuccine
• Water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp garlic, large, finely chopped
• 1 cup fresh cream
• 2 handfuls Parmesan, grated
• Black pepper, freshly crushed
• Parsley, freshly chopped

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Add enough water to a pot and bring it to a rolling boil.
2. When the water is boiling, add 1 teaspoon salt.
3. Gently drop in the fettuccine and use tongs to loosen it; cook until about 90% done.
4. Turn off the stove, drain the pasta, and reserve the cooked pasta water; set the pasta aside.
5. Take a wide pan and melt one stick (about 50 g) of unsalted butter over the stove.
6. Add about 2 tablespoons (about 10 large cloves) of finely chopped fresh garlic and sauté for just about 1 minute without browning it.
7. Keep the flame on low, pour in 1 cup of fresh cream, and gently mix; maintain low heat throughout.
8. Add about 100 g (about two handfuls) of grated Parmesan to the sauce; when the sauce becomes thick, dilute it with reserved pasta water as needed to reach a saucy consistency. At this point you may increase the flame to medium to help incorporation.
9. Add a pinch of salt and season with freshly crushed black pepper.
10. Gently add the cooked fettuccine to the sauce and toss until the pasta is completely coated.
11. Finish by adding a generous amount of grated Parmesan and a little freshly chopped parsley, then serve.