Credit: Ed Anderson Photography
Raw, unsalted cashews: 1 cup
Filtered water: 1/2 cup
Lemon juice: 1/4 cup
Apple cider vinegar: 1 tbsp
Nutritional yeast: 2 tsp
Garlic: 2 tsp (minced)
Sea salt: 1 tsp (plus 2 tbsp for the pasta water)
Black pepper: 1.5 tsp (plus more for topping)
Extra virgin olive oil: 1/4 cup
Bucatini pasta: 1 lb
Fresh parsley: for topping (chopped)
(From Vegana Italiana by Tara Punzone with Gene Stone. Copyright © 2025. Reprinted by permission of Rodale Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC)
Cacio e pepe is probably the most popular pasta dish in Rome. On countless occasions when I lived there, I felt my mouth watering wildly, watching people eat it up while knowing that I couldn’t have any, as cacio e pepe means “cheese and pepper.” Of course, my version has no dairy cream or cheese. It’s just a clean vegan cheese sauce with lots of black pepper—and it’s the second most popular dish on the Pura Vita menu.
- Soak the cashews in water for at least 4 hours.
- Drain and rinse well before using.
- In a large pot, bring 4 to 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil.
- Meanwhile, in a high-speed blender, combine the soaked cashews, filtered water, lemon juice, vinegar, nutritional yeast, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1½ teaspoons pepper.
- Blend until completely smooth.
- With the blender running on low speed, slowly stream in the olive oil until smooth and creamy.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons salt to the boiling water.
- Add the bucatini and cook until very al dente, about half the time suggested on the package.
- Pour all the sauce into a large sauté pan and warm over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, just until piping hot.
- Using tongs, transfer the bucatini directly to the pan and add ½ cup of the pasta cooking water.
- Toss continuously over low heat until the pasta absorbs the water and reaches perfect al dente texture.
- Add a splash more pasta water if needed.
- Plate and top with chopped parsley and a generous grind of black pepper.
- Serve immediately.
