Pasta al Parmigiano

Pasta tossed with Parmigiano Reggiano and olive oil. A fast, satisfying dish built on cheese quality alone. Ready in 15 minutes.

Serves: 4Prep: 2 minCook: 12 minTotal: 14 minDifficulty: EasyCuisine: Italian
→ Calculate ingredient cost for this recipePrices are editorial estimates (Q1 2025). Confidence rating shown after calculation.

Pasta al Parmigiano

Three ingredients. Fifteen minutes. The result depends entirely on the quality of the Parmigiano Reggiano.

Ingredients (4 servings)

  • 400g dry pasta (rigatoni, spaghetti, or fusilli)
  • 60g Parmigiano Reggiano DOP, freshly grated
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt, for pasta water

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Salt generously. Cook pasta to al dente — 2 minutes less than the package time.

2. Reserve pasta water Before draining, reserve at least 200ml of the starchy cooking water. This is the binding agent for the sauce.

3. Emulsify In the warm (not hot) pasta pot, combine the olive oil and 3–4 tbsp of pasta water. Add the drained pasta and toss vigorously. Add grated Parmigiano in two additions, tossing between each. Add more pasta water, a tablespoon at a time, until the cheese melts into a creamy coating. Do not put the pot back on high heat — the cheese will clump.

4. Serve Serve immediately. Extra grated Parmigiano at the table.

Notes

This dish fails if the pan is too hot (cheese seizes) or too cold (fat separates). The target temperature is warm enough to melt the cheese slowly — approximately 65–70°C. Grate the cheese finely for best emulsification. Block cheese grated fresh at the last moment gives dramatically better results than pre-grated.

Cost note: 60g Parmigiano per 4 servings is about €1.05 at supermarket prices — a negligible cost for a significant flavour contribution.