Neapolitan Pasta with Eggs and Cheese Recipe

Posted on | by Helen Greaves

This simple Neapolitan pasta dish gets its rich, creamy texture from free-range eggs and pecorino cheese. Mario Matassa shares his recipe…

Neapolitan Pasta with Eggs and Cheese
Recipe, words & photo by Mario Matassa.

When choosing a pasta recipe to make with eggs, I had toyed with the idea of a carbonara, but opted instead for an even simpler Neapolitan version, cas’ e ova in the local dialect (pasta cacio e uova).

It’s essentially a meatless version of the classic which firmly places the eggs in the spotlight.

With good quality eggs and cheese, it’s every bit as moreish as its counterpart. Think macaroni cheese with a creamy egg texture.

Neapolitan pasta with eggs and cheese | Pasta cacio e uova

➤ SERVES: 4
➤ PREPARATION: 5 minutes
➤ COOKING: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 360g mezze maniche (or other tubular-shaped dried pasta)
  • 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
  • 2 large free-range eggs (plus 1 egg yolk)
  • 100g freshly grated pecorino cheese
  • salt and pepper

Method:

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and add the pasta. In the meantime, add the olive oil to a heavy-based fry pan and gently heat the garlic until it just starts to turn colour. Switch off the heat.
  2. In a large heatproof mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and the cheese with a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.
  3. Remove the garlic from the frying pan but keep the oil. Once the pasta is aldente, use a slotted spoon to transfer it to the pan. Don’t drain the water. Leave the pot on a gentle simmer to keep the water hot. Add a few tablespoons of the water from the pot to the pasta and give it a stir.
  4. Place the bowl with the egg mixture over the boiling water. Make sure the bottom of the bowl does not come in contact with the simmering water. Add the pasta and mix well, stirring continuously for about one minute. You want to create a creamy silky sauce, not scrambled eggs.
  5. Remove the bowl from the heat and divide the pasta evenly. Finish with a final sprinkling of grated cheese and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.

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