Easy Creamy Peppery Pasta Sauce
A five-ingredient cacio e pepe-style sauce built from browned butter, crème fraîche and Parmesan.
Ingredients
- 600g fresh pasta (or 400g dried)
- 80g butter
- 4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 320ml pasta water
- 240ml crème fraîche
- 160g Parmesan
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a pot of well-salted water (this sauce comes together quickly, so time it to be ready as the pasta finishes).
- Melt the butter over medium heat and add the pepper, letting it sizzle while stirring until the butter is lightly browned.
- Lower the heat and add the pasta water, whisking vigorously until well emulsified.
- Add the crème fraîche and whisk until well combined — you want a gentle bubble, not a hard simmer.
- Add the Parmesan in a few lots, whisking and letting it melt between each addition.
- Add the pasta straight in and let it bubble for a minute or two, adding more pasta water if you need to loosen the sauce.
- Season with salt and pepper if needed — a little extra pepper on top is good.