In April of 2015, Meghan Markle spent the afternoon with Athena Calderone, creator of the EyeSwoon blog. Together they crafted one of Markle’s go-to recipes, an acai bowl. But during their interview, Markle also revealed that, although she loves a good acai bowl for breakfast, she loves to make this one-pot, 15-minute pasta recipe for dinner.
“What is your go-to recipe you make with your eyes closed?” Calderone asked. “Cacio and pepe pasta…so easy,” Markle responded.
According to Bon Appétit, cacio e pepe literally means cheese and pepper — which are the main two ingredients (besides the pasta) in this dish. Of course there are about a million and one ways you can put cacio and pepe pasta together, but all recipes revolve around the same basic ingredients: salt, pepper, butter, pasta, parmesan cheese, and pecorino cheese (you can combine the two cheeses or use either/or).
Bon Appétit’s cacio and pepe pasta recipe goes as follows:
Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and season with salt. Add 6 oz. pasta (like spaghetti or bucatini) and cook until about two minutes before it turns tender. Drain and reserve about 3/4 cup of the pasta water.
While the pasta cooks, melt 2 tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tsp. fresh cracked pepper and cook by swirling the pan until pepper is toasted (about one minute).
Add 1/2 cup pasta water to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Add pasta and 1 tbsp. butter. Reduce heat to low and add 3/4 cup finely grated Grana Padano or Parmesan and stir until melted. Remove pan from heat and add 1/3 cup finely grated Pecorino and stir until melted.
Serve in warm bowls and bon appétit!
If a busy duchess can make this meal in under 15 minutes, so can you. We can’t wait to try out this Meghan Markle-approved dish and feel like utter royalty while eating.
If one-pot meals are your jam, you’re going to want to check out our one-pot salmon and pasta dinner.
Meal prep, anyone?
