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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.
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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.
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Add the butter to the pan, stir through until melted, then add the gluten free gnocchi.
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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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