Buzz
Watching people get upset about Italian food online (and in my own house) is one of my favorite types of content. It’s a righteous, raw anger, a genuine outrage I often witness through my Italian-American boyfriend. But even as someone who loves pineapple on pizza, I have to admit I'm a little shocked by The Kitchn’s Ranch Cacio e Pepe, written by Megan Splawn.
It’s not that I’m above adding ranch seasoning to things—I’m definitely not. But the true beauty of cacio e pepe is how its two main ingredients—freshly ground pepper and Pecorino or Parmesan—are allowed to shine on their own. Ranch tends to overshadow flavors. To be fair, this dish appears to have been made for 'two kids who hate black pepper,' so masking and muting the flavors is exactly what it's supposed to do.
But putting semantics aside, I still needed to know if cheesy ranch noodles were something I’d enjoy, so I followed Megan Splawn’s recipe to find out:
Here’s how I prepare my ranch cacio e pepe at home: While the pasta cooks, melt a generous chunk of butter in a large skillet. Stir in 2 teaspoons of homemade ranch seasoning or a tablespoon from the packet, letting the spices cook for 1 minute before adding about half a cup of reserved pasta water to simmer. Add the noodles, toss to coat, and finish with the Parmesan.
'A nice knob' may not be an official measurement, but I can tell when I see it. I used three tablespoons of butter and a tablespoon of Hidden Valley, because Hidden Valley is the gold standard of ranch seasoning. The only reason someone would make their own ranch would be to avoid MSG, and that's just not my thing.
The noodles turned out okay. They definitely tasted like ranch, but I kind of wish I’d used the cheap powdered Parmesan instead, since the finer cheese I chose didn’t have much impact. If you're a fan of ranch, this will probably please you. But if you were expecting traditional cacio e pepe and got this, you might be disappointed—or if you’re Italian—so furious that you tweet about it. It’s a clever way to get kids to eat noodles, but not a real cacio e pepe recipe.
