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I’m not much for food fads, but for zucchini noodles (zoodles) I’ve gladly made an exception. I love that I can swap them in to my favorite pasta recipes (like Cacio e Pepe!) when I want to lighten them up and for Zucchini Salad, a summertime favorite. And now that I think about it, I should try it with Lemon Basil Pasta and Lemon Garlic Pasta too!
I’ve found that I prefer to combine them with actual pasta. (Unlike the Gnudi I love which is basically ravioli sans pasta altogether!) So if a recipe calls for 12 ounces of pasta, I’ll use 6 ounces and 3 or 4 zucchini. The zucchini noodles add heft and body, kind of like TVP but less mysterious.
In Italian, ‘Cacio e Pepe’ means simply “cheese and pepper.” So really I should call this Cacio e Pepe e Burro (cheese and pepper and butter), because butter makes everything better.
Cacio e Pepe is one of those dishes that looks fancy enough for company, but is easy enough to make on a busy weekday evening.
Bucatini and Zucchini Noodle Cacio e Pepe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces bucatini pasta
- 4 medium zucchini thinly sliced into ribbons with mandoline, peeler or spiralizer
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 ounces Pecorino cheese finely grated plus more for topping
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
Instructions
- Cook bucatini according to package directions until about 3 minutes before tender. Add zucchini noodles, cook 3 minutes more. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.
- Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add pepper; cook and stir about 1 minute.
- Add 1/2 cup reserved pasta water; bring to simmer. Add pasta and zucchini noodles, tossing to coat. Reduce heat to low and add cheese, stirring vigorously until cheese melts and pasta is coated (add more of the cooking liquid if pasta seems dry).
- Divide between 4 bowls; sprinkle each with parsley and more cheese if desired. Serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
