Cacio e Pepe Lasagna: A Via Carota Classic

Name: Cacio e Pepe Lasagna
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Ingredients: 1/2 lb. 225 grams Pecorino Romano rinds and scraps; 3 quarts or 3 liters water; 1 quart or 1 liter whole milk; 8 tablespoons or 113 grams unsalted butter; 1 cup or 120 grams all-purpose flour; 1 quart or 1 liter Pecorino Stock; Coarsely ground pepper (about 2 tablespoons/20g); Besciamella al Pecorino (instructions below); 32 strips pasta, each approximately 4 x 9 inches/ 10 × 23 cm (instructions below); 8 ounces or 225 grams finely grated Pecorino Romano + more for serving; Salt

The famed 10-layer cacio e pepe lasagna from Rita Sodi and Jody Williams of I Sodi and Via Carota, the perpetually in-demand Italian restaurants in NYC’s West Village.

By Morgan Hines and Appetito Editors

12:15 PM EDT on October 11, 2023

Lately, you can’t escape mentions of I Sodi and Via Carota, the beloved restaurants from Rita Sodi and Jody Williams. Appetito recently featured both Sodi and Williams discussing their culinary inspirations and memories. The New York Times bestowed a rave review on the new, expanded location of I Sodi that opened this year. And Taylor Swift, during a break from her game-changing Eras Tour, has made a habit of dining at Via Carota with famous friends.

Now, we’re giving you another reason to keep these chefs and their restaurants top-of-mind: the Cacio e Pepe Lasagna recipe from the beloved dish available at Via Carota and I Sodi, excerpted from Via Carota: A Celebration of Seasonal Cooking from the Beloved Greenwich Village Restaurant: An Italian Cookbook. the duo.

When the duo makes their version of this lasagna, they stop at 10 layers, but they encourage at-home chefs to continue with as many layers as they please.

Here’s what to know if you want to try it out at home:

Cacio e Pepe Lasagna

Recipe by Rita Sodi and Jody Williams

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: MainCuisine: Italian

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

hours

Ingredients

For the Pecorino Stock
1/2 lb. 1/2 225 grams Pecorino Romano rinds and scraps
3 quarts 3 or 3 liters water
For the Besciamella al Pecorino
1 quart 1 or 1 liter whole milk
8 tablespoons 8 or 113 grams unsalted butter
1 cup 1 or 120 grams all-purpose flour
1 quart 1 or 1 liter Pecorino Stock
Coarsely ground pepper (about 2 tablespoons/20g)
For the lasagna
Besciamella al Pecorino (instructions below)
32 32 strips pasta, each approximately 4 x 9 inches/ 10 × 23 cm (instructions below)
8 ounces 8 or 225 grams finely grated Pecorino Romano + more for serving
Salt

Directions

For the Pecorino stock
Scrub cheese rinds with a stiff brush, peel off any labels, and rinse them.
Place the rinds and scraps of Pecorino in a medium pot.
Cover with cold water by 2 to 3 inches/5 to 7.5 cm and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat and simmer very gently for 30 minutes.
Let stand for 15 minutes, then skim fat and impurities from the top.
Strain the stock before using (see notes).
For the Besciamella al Pecorino
Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium heat until steaming, then remove from the heat.
Melt the butter in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat, and whisk in the flour in a few additions. Switch to a wooden spoon when it becomes too thick for the whisk and stir the smooth paste over low heat for 2 minutes.
Gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking until thoroughly combined and there are no lumps.
Heat the pecorino stock in the empty saucepan and whisk it into the sauce.
Season with salt (about I teaspoon/3 grams), and the pepper, and finely grate nutmeg into the pot.
Cook over low heat, stirring the bottom occasionally until you have a creamy sauce the consistency of thin pancake batter, about 15 minutes.
Let cool for at least 30 minutes while you cook the pasta sheets.
For the Lasagna
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, lightly coat the bottom of an ovenproof dish (9 × 13 inches/23 × 33 cm) with pecorino bechamel sauce. Set the dish near the stove.
Have ready a double layer of kitchen towels, or a clean tablecloth like Rita's mother used to do.
Reduce the heat so the water is just shy of boiling.
Gently lower three sheets of pasta into the water.
Stir the pasta gently to keep them from sticking, cook until they float, about 1 minute.
Lift the pasta out with a spider and lay it flat on the kitchen towels to dry-if the pasta is folded or stuck together, dip it in water again.
Place pasta in the baking dish (use about two and a half sheets, trimming the sheets to fit as necessary, and saving the trimmings).
Spread a thin layer of pecorino bechamel sauce over the pasta and sprinkle with pecorino cheese.
Cook three more sheets of pasta.
Repeat with another layer of pasta, lightly covering it with sauce and pecorino.When all the pasta is layered in the dish, spread the top with a bit of sauce and sprinkle with pecorino.
Let stand about 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours, to set before baking.
Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
Bake the lasagna uncovered until golden and bubbling hot, 30 to 40 minutes.
Sprinkle the surface with grated pecorino just before serving.