Viral Butter Cheese Pasta
Creamy, luxurious pasta in under 15 minutes—just butter, cheese, pasta water, and Pecorino. The starchy pasta water emulsifies into a silky sauce that coats every strand.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 520
- Protein
- 18g
Ingredients
- 8 oz short-cut pasta (spaghetti, linguine, or bucatini)
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, stirring once halfway through.
- 2
Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain pasta in a colander.
- 3
Return the empty pot to medium heat. Add butter and let it melt, swirling until foaming, about 1 minute.
- 4
Add drained pasta to the pot with butter. Toss to coat, then add 0.75 cup pasta water.
- 5
Remove from heat. Add Pecorino, salt, and pepper. Toss constantly until sauce clings to pasta, adding pasta water by the spoonful if it looks dry.
- 6
Serve immediately in warm bowls. Finish with a crack of black pepper.
Tools you’ll need
- large pot
- colander
- wooden spoon or tongs
- measuring cup
- box grater or microplane
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