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This Gnocchi Cacio e Pepe is probably THE simplest dinner recipe ever, using only 4 ingredients and ready in 5 minutes. Pillowy gnocchi in a creamy parmesan, butter and black pepper sauce, the dream midweek meal for a busy weeknight.
A 3-Ingredient Gnocchi Recipe, Ready in 5 Mins
- Why choose this recipe? I mean if the quick cooking time and simplicity of this gnocchi recipe doesn’t sell it to you, I don’t know what will! Cacio e Pepe literally translates to ‘cheese and pepper’ – which is what this sauce is essentially made of. So simple, so good.
- Mentioned in BBC Good Food: When I first posted this recipe on my Instagram it got a lot of love. So much so, it was mentioned by BBC Good Food!
- Gnocchi of Choice: You can find gluten free gnocchi in the free from aisle and the Asda fresh gnocchi is accidentally gluten free. Or make your own gluten free gnocchi – it’s so easy and can be frozen to use in other recipes too!
- Serving Suggestions: Serve this gnocchi cacio e pepe with some gluten free garlic bread or gluten free doughballs on the side.
- Can I Make This With Pasta? Of course! Cacio e Pepe is more commonly made with spaghetti, but I just prefer using gluten free gnocchi to make it even quicker. Gnocchi only takes 2-3 mins to boil, while gluten free spaghetti takes 8-10 mins.
Ingredients and Substitutions
There’s a printable recipe card below for this cacio e pepe gnocchi with the full quantities. But here are the main ingredients and ideas for any swaps.
- Gnocchi: Make sure you pick a gluten free gnocchi from the free from aisle, or make your own homemade gluten free gnocchi. Some of my favourite options include White Rabbit, Rummo, Garo Falo and Mr Organic.
- Parmesan: Use either grated parmesan (parmigiano reggiano) or Pecorino Romano cheese for this recipe. I personally find them interchangeable, Italian readers may disagree!
- Butter: This is important for both flavour and emulsifying the sauce. Some recipes use olive oil but I personally much prefer butter.
- Black Pepper: I tend to use just one teaspoon, but you can add a little more if you like it really peppery!
How to Make Gnocchi Cacio e Pepe
There’s a printable recipe card below with the method. But here are some photos showing how easy this gluten free cacio e pepe gnocchi is to make in just 3 steps!
More Gnocchi Recipes
If you like this easy cacio e pepe recipe then make sure you check out these other gluten free gnocchi recipes too…
Have you tried this recipe?
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Cook the gluten free gnocchi as per the pack instructions in boiling water – usually this only takes 2-3 minutes. Before draining, reserve 200ml of the cooking water.
Place a large frying pan on a medium heat and add the parmesan cheese, black pepper and gnocchi cooking water. Keep on the heat and stir for 1-2 minutes until it starts to thicken.
Add the butter to the pan, stir through until melted, then add the gluten free gnocchi.
Mix to coat the gnocchi well and serve immediately with more black pepper and parmesan on top.
- Storing: I recommend always making this cacio e pepe gnocchi from fresh. To be honest, it’s so quick to make, it would probably take longer to reheat it anyway!
- Step-by-Step Photos: Check out the blog post above for step-by-step photos of this method if you find it easier to follow a visual guide.
- Variations: If you like you could fry off some bacon or chorizo before making the sauce, or add some cooked peas for a pop of green.
- Like this Recipe? It would mean SO much to me if you could leave a 5* rating and a little comment if you make this Gnocchi Cacio e Pepe and love it. It really helps support my blog and get the recipe out there to more people! Thank you xx
Serving: 1portion | Calories: 668kcal | Carbohydrates: 95g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 23g
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