Valentine’s Day Cacio e Pepe with Heart-Shaped Pasta

An easy, cozy pasta made with love (ready in under 20 minutes)

 Note - This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you shop through them. Read more about our disclaimers here.

---

When I saw this heart-shaped pasta at Trader Joes, it felt like a fun way to make an everyday dinner feel a little more special. I combined it with a cacio e pepe sauce for a cozy, simple, and creamy dish that came together in under 20 minutes (once the water was boiling).

It was so good and easy!

Perfect for Valentine’s Day or a low-effort weeknight win.

Enjoy, friends!

---

Quick Cacio e Pepe Recipe

Servings: 4-5
Total Time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 bag of heart-shaped pasta (Mine is from Trader Joe’s. I linked an alternative below)

• 1 jar Sacla Cacio e Pepe sauce

• 1½ cups freshly grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for garnish

  (very fine grate — microplane is best)

• 1–1½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

• Reserved pasta water, about 1½ cups

• ¼ cup heavy cream or whole milk (optional but recommended for silkiness)

• Salt (for pasta water)

Optional for finishing:

• Extra Pecorino Romano

• Whole peppercorns (for cracking tableside)

---

Instructions

1. Boil the Pasta

• Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.

• Salt generously once the water is boiling — the water should taste like the sea.

• Add pasta and cook until just al dente. Mine cooked for 12 minutes.

• Reserve at least 1½ cups pasta water, then drain.

Do not rinse the pasta. You want the surface starch.

2. Doctor the Sauce

In a saucepan over low heat:

1. Add the full jar of cacio e pepe sauce.

2. Slowly whisk in ½ cup warm pasta water.

3. Add ¼ cup heavy cream or whole milk to soften the pepper and add gloss.

4. Warm gently — stir constantly to prevent it from boiling.
   

The sauce should loosen slightly but remain thick and cohesive.

3. Build the Emulsion

• Remove the saucepan from heat.

• Gradually whisk in 1½ cups grated Pecorino Romano, a little at a time.

• Add small splashes of pasta water as needed to keep the sauce smooth.

You’re looking for:

• No clumps

• No separation

• A sauce that coats the back of a spoon and slowly slides off

4. Combine

• Add drained pasta directly to the sauce. For photography purposes, I used only the yellow hearts but we did eat both colors.

• Toss gently until fully coated.

• Add more pasta water, 1–2 tablespoons at a time, until the sauce clings to each heart.

Season with freshly cracked black pepper to taste.

5. Plate & Finish

• Spoon pasta into shallow bowls.

• Finish with:

  • A light snowfall of Pecorino

  • One final crack of black pepper

  • A side of your favorite protein, if desired

Serve immediately and enjoy.

With Love,
Ambyr

---