Food Recipes Cacio e Pepe Cauliflower 3.3 (3) Add your rating & review Cacio e pepe is a classic Italian pasta dish in which the starch from pasta water combines with pecorino cheese and black pepper to create a delicious sauce. Swap pasta and switch in cauliflower to pair with those amazing flavors for something simple, delicious, and healthy. Serve as a side with roasted chicken or hey, throw it back to the original inspiration and toss it with pasta. Shopping tip: Pecorino is a hard sheep’s milk cheese similar to Parmesan, but much saltier. If you can’t find pecorino at the grocery store, parmesan will work just as well. By Robin Bashinsky Robin Bashinsky Chef and recipe developer Robin Bashinsky has spiced up Real Simple, Cooking Light, and other magazines with his focus on bold, global flavors and healthy eating. Highlights: * Award-winning chef at BLUEROOT in Birmingham, Alabama * Previous chef positions at Birmingham-area restaurants, daniel george and Hot and Hot Fish Club * Recipe developer at Cooking Light, Real Simple, and more * Won a James Beard Award for Food Journalism in 2016 and 2017 Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 2, 2022 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Greg DuPree Hands On Time: 5 mins Total Time: 20 mins Yield: 4 servings Ingredients 8 cups cauliflower florets (from 1 small head cauliflower) ¼ cup olive oil 1 teaspoon kosher salt 3 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, grated on smallest holes of box grater (about ¾ cup) 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Directions Preheat the oven to 425°F. Toss together cauliflower, oil, and salt on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until cauliflower is lightly caramelized and tender, 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Toss with the cheese and pepper. Rate it Print