Cacio E Pepe Dip

Recipe: A Three-Cheese Fry Dip, Ready In 20 Minutes

Cacio e pepe is originally a Roman pasta dish, its name translating simply to ‘cheese and pepper’, made with spaghetti or tonnarelli tossed with Pecorino Romano, black pepper, and a little starchy pasta water to make a glossy sauce with no cream or butter involved. This cacio e pepe dip recipe borrows that same cheese-and-pepper spirit and rebuilds it as a warm, roux-based dip instead, swapping the starchy pasta water for a proper butter-and-flour roux loosened with milk, which gives it the thick, scoopable texture a dip needs. Three cheeses go into this version rather than Pecorino Romano alone: Parmesan and Pecorino Romano combined recreate the sharp, salty backbone of the original dish, while Monterey Jack is added purely for its meltability, since Pecorino alone can turn slightly grainy in a dip without a creamier cheese to smooth it out. Garlic powder and onion powder are staples that add more flavour to this no-cook dip, without overwhelming the pepper flavour that is the hallmark of this cacio e pepe dip recipe. This is the typical dip that is perfect for a variety of fries, whether plain, seasoned or the peppery kind that matches the dominant spice of this cacio e pepe dip recipe. You can also enjoy it with potato chips, tortilla chips or nachos or any other snack that is crunchy and can scoop up the dip.