Super Food In Minutes20 Minutes

Kale Cacio e Pepe

Name: Kale Cacio e Pepe
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: 200g (7oz) dried spaghetti; 150g (5oz) kale, tough stems removed and leaves finely shredded; 20g (¾oz) unsalted butter; 2 tsp black peppercorns, crushed; 80g (3oz) pecorino cheese, grated

Despite the incredible simplicity of its ingredients, a true cacio e pepe takes a little practice in order to get right the almost alchemical blend of cheese and water to form that glossy, coating sauce. Though as it is so delicious, you won’t mind how many times you practice making it! Make it veggie: swap the pecorino for a vegetarian alternative.

Donal SkehanFrom the series · Super Food In Minutes

20 min totalServes 2Easy

Kale Cacio e Pepe

Time20 min

Serves2

SkillEasy

ShowSuper Food In Minutes

Method

Bring a shallow pan of water to the boil with plenty of salt. Add the pasta (the water should only just cover it) and simmer for 10–12 minutes until the pasta is tender, adding the kale 3–4 minutes before the end of the pasta cooking time.

At the same time, melt the butter in a large, high-sided frying pan, add the black peppercorns, then tip into a large bowl. Add the pecorino and mix together. Scoop out 250ml (1 cup) of the pasta water while the pasta is still cooking and beat a little splash into the bowl to make a paste, then keep adding water gradually until you have a smooth sauce.

Drain the pasta and add it to the bowl of cheesy sauce along with the kale. Stir together, adding a little more pasta water until the whole thing is coated in a glorious glossy sauce. Serve immediately.

Cook's notes

Get set up before the pasta goes in: strip out the thicker kale stalks, shred the leaves finely and grate the pecorino in advance, so when the moment comes you're ready to go.
Cook the pasta in just enough water to cover it — the less water, the starchier it gets, and that starch is what makes the sauce silky.
Crush the peppercorns yourself rather than using fine ground pepper; the coarse cracked bits give real warmth and fragrance.
Add the pasta water to the cheese and pepper little by little, off the heat, stirring until the cheese has melted smoothly — rush it and it can seize into clumps.
The kale goes into the pasta pot for the last 3 to 4 minutes only, so it softens without turning army-green.

Serve with A simple lemon-dressed rocket salad cuts through the richness, with a glass of crisp white wine if you're making an evening of it.

Make ahead & storage This really is a cook-and-eat-now dish — the sauce goes claggy once it cools and doesn't reheat well, so make only what you'll eat.

20 MinutesVegetarian

Recipe by Donal Skehan · From the series Super Food In Minutes · Photography © Appetite Media
Published 13 July 2026 · Updated 15 July 2026

Nutrition

Per serving

627kcal

25gprotein

75gcarbs

23gfat

Figures from the show's kitchen.

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