Pecorino

This minimalist cacio e pepe recipe is like a stripped-down mac and cheese.

Toss bouncy udon in a speedy creamy sauce reminiscent of an Italian favorite.

Tangy vodka sauce and grilled chicken make a savory base for this pizza, which gets topped with a bright arugula salad and pickled red onions after it’s baked.

Zucchini is one of summer’s most abundant offerings; here it stars on a pesto pizza alongside ricotta-stuffed squash blossoms and a showering of mint.

It takes only a handful of ingredients to make this fancy-yet-weeknight pasta.

The classic reconsidered: less pasta, more crispy-chewy strips of guanciale, and more silky creamy egg to hold it all together.

Think of this as carbonara minus the eggs but still with massive amounts of flavor from guanciale, black pepper, and Pecorino.

In search of an alternative to the mac and cheese her kids insist on, Deb Perelman found inspiration in an iconic Italian dish.

Cacio e pepe works on so many things, this chips recipe is just our latest obsession with using the whole flavor combination.

Memorize how to make the addictively crunchy breadcrumbs in this dish; use them to top all your pasta recipes forevermore.

You can finish this carbonara with other seasonal vegetables, such as shredded brussels sprouts or Napa cabbage. This recipe is from Oberlin, one of the Hot 10, America's Best New Restaurants 2016.

Because would it really be a barbecue without grilled corn?

This spring salad can be made with pretty much any grain and firm grating cheese you like.

You know what your cooking needs? More cheese. More pepper. Together forever.

The classic Pecorino and black pepper combination is delicious on way more than pasta. Try it on veg and rice, too.

If using different types of beets, separate them when roasting and tossing to keep the colors from bleeding.

Rather than being cooked in salted water, the pasta is treated like risotto—simmered in stock and stirred until cooked and creamy—which gives it plenty of time to pick up meaty flavors.

Don’t pass over slightly bruised or extra-ripe tomatoes for this soup recipe; they’re often the most flavorful and especially good here.

Both guanciale and Pecorino are quite salty; Leonardo Vignoli, the chef at Da Cesare al Casaletto, recommends undersalting the pasta water to give you more control.

Garlicky, pungent ramps set off pesto pyrotechnics.

OK, we admit it. This spaghetti squash recipe is just a vehicle for butter and cheese. But full of fiber!

Prefer a turkey, pork, or lamb sausage? By all means, use that instead.

Chef Philip Krajeck, Rolf and Daughters, Nashville, says the key to this dish is getting a good char on the brussels sprouts, which helps balance the richness of the porky, eggy sauce. Salt draws moisture out of the leaves, which might make them soggy, so he doesn’t season them.

This salad can be made with raw fav beans, as long as they're especially fresh. But blanching them quickly makes them much easier to peel.