Cacio e Pepe Chowder

Just one bite of this Cacio e Pepe Chowder and you’re going to be hooked. This creamy, peppery chowder is the best comfort food soup recipe ever!

Love comfort food recipes? We’ve got lots. We’ve got Slow Cooker Comfort Foods, and a whole collection of Comfort Food Dinners so get your sweat pants ready!

Cacio e Pepe Chowder in a bowl with parsley from the top

What Is Cacio E Pepe?

Cacio e Pepe is a Roman pasta dish that means cheese and pepper. The ingredients are simple, pasta, pepper and parmesan or pecorino romano cheese.

One bite of this pasta dish and I was hooked. And I’m not even a huge pasta fan – I can honestly take it or leave it. Christie on the other hand would eat it every day, at every meal if she could.

This easy chowder recipe is like another soup recipe of ours, Beefy Tomato Soup. Both recipes have lots of pasta in them so after it sits in your fridge for a day or two the pasta is going to soak up some of the broth.

Now, some people love this, some don’t but here’s my advice. You can always add more broth to this Cacio e Pepe Chowder when you heat it up the next day, or add more to the cooking process…

But I promise you – this chowder recipe – it is AMAZING.

Cacio e Pepe Chowder in a bowl with parsley

Maybe it’s just a make it and eat it kind of thing because when it’s done it’s PERFECT. And I can say that because we made it three times before getting it just right.

I am also going to tell you that after making this three times in a row we did have a few leftovers…be we love leftovers.

What To Do With Leftover Soup:

  • Added more broth for dinner the next day
  • Mixed the leftover chowder with frozen peas and carrots and served it as a creamy pasta dish (boys loved that)
  • Tossed it with mushrooms and shredded rotisserie chicken (or leftover turkey) then added to a casserole dish, topped with breadcrumbs and baked it for a short cut chicken or turkey tetrazzini

Totally versatile. So actually maybe double this and use it as a base for another meal. It works.

How To Make This Chowder Recipe

Start out this chowder recipe by breaking up spaghetti into thirds and getting it in your pot along with onions, garlic and butter.

Cacio e Pepe Chowder cooking with toasted spaghetti

Get a wooden spoon in there and break up the spaghetti even more as you toss it around in the pot. Some pieces will be bigger and some will be smaller, that makes for good chowder.

Once the pasta gets toasted like this you’re ready to add the broth.

Cacio e Pepe Chowder cooking with toasted noodles

Bring the broth to a boil then turn down the heat and let the pasta cook in the broth, covered for 10 minutes. You’re going to need to stir a few times in between so the pasta doesn’t stick so don’t walk away.

After the pasta is cooked you can pour in the milk and cream…

Now the grated parmesan and more fresh black pepper and it’s chow time for the best chowder recipe you’ve ever tasted.

Cacio e Pepe Chowder in a bowl with bread and cheese

Oh yes, you should absolutely grab a big piece of crusty bread to go with this Cacio e Pepe Chowder! Because at this point, who cares about the carbs?

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Cacio e Pepe Chowder in a bowl with parsley

Cacio e Pepe Chowder

  • Author: Dan
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x

This creamy, peppery thick spaghetti chowder is a total comfort food dinner! This chowder is so thick, it eats like a meal!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper, plus more for serving
  • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 8 oz. thin spaghetti
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
  • Fresh chopped parsley, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil and butter in a large dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic, salt and pepper to the onions. Stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
  2. Break the spaghetti into thirds and add to the pot, breaking up with a spoon as you stir. Cook, while tossing, over low heat until you start to see some of the spaghetti turning a light brown color.
  3. Once the spaghetti starts to toast, sprinkle in the flour and toss to coat with the pasta cooking for another minute or two.
  4. Turn the heat up to medium and pour in the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, stir the past so it doesn’t stick, then reduce the heat back to low and cover for 8-10 minutes. (It’s a good idea to lift the lid and stir the pasta every couple of minutes to prevent sticking)
  5. Once the pasta is tender, pour in the milk, cream and parmesan cheese and stir. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring until thickened.
  6. Taste for seasonings then serve with chopped parsley, more fresh pepper and parmesan cheese.
  • Category: soup
  • Method: stove top
  • Cuisine: Italian

 

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