Leek cacio e pepe
Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Andrew Burton
Leek cacio e pepe
A simple classic pasta dish, translating as ‘cheese and pepper’. Softened leeks add a gentle sweetness that complements the flavours of the original recipe
Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
See more recipes
Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
512Kcal
Fat
21gr
Saturates
12gr
Carbs
58gr
Sugars
4gr
Fibre
7gr
Protein
19gr
Salt
0.7gr
Abigail Spooner
Abi is our Head of Food. She loves the precision and creativity of baking, turning fridge odds-and-ends into a weeknight pasta, and is always bookmarking new restaurants to try. She's happiest hosting friends around a table overflowing with food (and insisting everyone has seconds) or planning holidays around what to eat.
Abigail Spooner
Abi is our Head of Food. She loves the precision and creativity of baking, turning fridge odds-and-ends into a weeknight pasta, and is always bookmarking new restaurants to try. She's happiest hosting friends around a table overflowing with food (and insisting everyone has seconds) or planning holidays around what to eat.
Ingredients
- 60g butter
- 1 x 500g pack leeks, trimmed and sliced
- 300g linguine or spaghetti
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tsp black peppercorns, finely crushed using a pestle and mortar, plus extra to serve
- 90g pecorino or Parmesan, finely grated - use vegetarian cheese if required
Step by step
- Heat the butter in a large, deep frying pan and cook the leeks over a low heat, covered, for 6-8 minutes until softened.
- While the leeks are cooking, boil the pasta according to pack instructions. Drain over a large bowl to reserve the cooking water.
- Return to the leeks; stir in the garlic and black pepper and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant, then add 150ml of the pasta cooking water. Toss together briefly, then evenly scatter over the grated cheese. Don’t stir but wait for the cheese to melt; about 1 minute. Once melted, add the drained pasta and stir well to coat. Add a little more pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce.
-
Divide between bowls and serve immediately with extra black pepper ground over the top.
