Cacio e Pepe (Italian for, cheese and pepper) popcorn is the best snack ever! Buttery, Parmesan Popcorn topped with loads of freshly ground black pepper. One batch isn't enough!
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword Parmesan, Popcorn
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 5 minutesminutes
Servings 6servings
Calories 93kcal
Ingredients
1/3cuppopcorn kernels
15gramsfinely grated Parmigiano Reggiano*grated on a microplane, about 1/2 cup
1/4cupbutter
1-2Tbspolive oil
1/8-1/4tspfreshly ground black pepperor to taste
salt to taste
Instructions
Pop the popcorn kernels using whichever method you desire. I favour air popped popcorn, but you can also do it on the stovetop, or even the instant pot.
Transfer the popcorn to a big bowl. Set aside.
Grate the parmesan cheese with a microplane. The cheese will be very light and fluffy looking once grated. This will allow it to melt in with the butter and ultimately results in a better coated popcorn. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, add butter, olive oil, pepper and grated parmesan. Heat over low heat until the butter has melted.
Pour the melted butter mixture over the popcorn and toss to coat. Season with salt if needed**
Adjust pepper seasoning to your taste, too. You can also add more grated parmesan over the top of the popcorn, however I find that it tends to fall to the bottom of the bowl.
Notes
*Use Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano, or Pecorino Romano.
**Parmesan is fairly salty, so I like to wait until the very end to salt to taste.