Quick Cacio e Pepe Potato Soup Recipe (30 Minutes)

Name: This Easy Potato Soup Is Creamy, Cheesy, and Ready in 30 Minutes
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 tablespoon freshly and coarsely ground black pepper, plus more to taste; 1 (30-ounce) bag frozen hash browns (shredded or cubed); 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth, plus more as needed; 3/4 cup heavy cream or whole milk; 1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving; 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

Bowl of creamy cacio e pepe potato soup with a spoon — Simply Recipes / Ali Redmond

You can make this flavorful potato soup with just a handful of simple ingredients.
Thanks to using pre-prepped frozen hash browns, you can put this soup together in just 30 minutes.
The creamy blend of Pecorino Romano cheese and black pepper captures classic cacio e pepe flavors.

Cacio e pepe, or cheese and pepper, is one of my favorite Italian pasta dishes. It combines just three ingredients—spaghetti, Pecorino Romano cheese, and black pepper—with the starchy pasta cooking water to create a luxurious, velvety dish that is so much more than the sum of its parts.

Whether it makes the Italians angry or not, this classic Roman pasta has risen in worldwide popularity over the years, and so has the number of “cacio e pepe-d” recipes out there. From green beans and creamy beans to smashed potatoes, to versions made without the cheese and another with brown butter, the interpretations that play on the “cheese and pepper” pairing are nearly endless.

Inspired by the flexibility and adaptability of the much beloved combination, I’ve developed an incredibly easy cacio e pepe potato soup recipe that uses frozen hash browns as its base. With just a handful of ingredients and 30 minutes, this soup can be dinner tonight or lunch tomorrow, and is just another delicious way to eat and love cacio e pepe.

Soup served in bowls with a pot of the same soup on the side — Simply Recipes / Ali Redmond

Tips for Making Cacio e Pepe Potato Soup

Since there are so few ingredients in cacio e pepe, it’s important to find and treat each ingredient properly. Here are a few tips that are worth keeping in mind:

Pecorino Romano is the classic cheese for cacio e pepe, but they aren’t all created equal. When shopping, choose a Pecorino that’s aged between two and six months; an older Pecorino won’t melt as nicely into the soup.
If you don’t like sheep’s milk cheese, you can use parmesan cheese instead, but I recommend grating it fresh for this soup (skip the green can here!) to get the best flavor and texture.
You need to start with whole black peppercorns for this recipe. Use a pepper grinder on a coarse setting or a mortar and pestle to crush or grind the peppercorns; they should be cracked and coarsely ground, not finely ground for this recipe.

Two bowls of cacio e pepe potato soup with spoons topped with grated cheese and black pepper next to a small dish of black pepper — Simply Recipes / Ali Redmond

Quick Cacio e Pepe Potato Soup

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Total Time 30 mins

Servings 4 to 6 servings

You can also make this soup with fresh potatoes instead of frozen hash browns. Use an equal weight of peeled russet potatoes (or unpeeled, for a more rustic soup!), finely cube or grate them (use the large holes of a box grater or food processor), and cook as directed until tender.

Keep Screen Awake

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon freshly and coarsely ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 (30-ounce) bag frozen hash browns (shredded or cubed)
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth, plus more as needed
3/4 cup heavy cream or whole milk
1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

Bloom the pepper:

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the black pepper and toast for about 1 minute, then add the hash browns, broth, and heavy cream or milk and stir to combine.
Simmer:

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and let the soup simmer until the potatoes are tender and hot all the way through, stirring often as the bottom is quick to stick and burn, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in cheese and salt, then taste and adjust the seasoning as desired with more salt and black pepper.
Finish and serve:

For a smooth soup, use an immersion blender to purée the soup or transfer the soup in batches to a stand blender, pulsing just until smooth. For a chunkier soup (my preference), leave it as-is.

If you find the soup too thick, add more broth or water as desired to thin it out, tasting and adjusting the seasoning as needed. Ladle into bowls, top with more freshly grated Pecorino and black pepper on top, and serve.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
387	Calories
22g	Fat
44g	Carbs
6g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories	387
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 22g	29%
Saturated Fat 5g	25%
Cholesterol 17mg	6%
Sodium 685mg	30%
Total Carbohydrate 44g	16%
Dietary Fiber 5g	17%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 10mg	50%
Calcium 104mg	8%
Iron 1mg	6%
Potassium 790mg	17%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.