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: 
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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 former Junior Food Editor. An obsessive foodie with a sweet tooth, she is happiest when baking and is a firm believer that there is always room for dessert (preferably following a big bowl of pasta)
See more of Abigail Spooner’s recipes
Abigail Spooner
Abi is our former Junior Food Editor. An obsessive foodie with a sweet tooth, she is happiest when baking and is a firm believer that there is always room for dessert (preferably following a big bowl of pasta)
See more of Abigail Spooner’s recipes
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.
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Divide between bowls and serve immediately with extra black pepper ground over the top.
