Five-Cheese Rigatoni -- The Pasta That Almost Stood In for Cacio e Pepe

One year wedding anniversary this weekend — June 19th, 2022, one year from the rainy day at St. Linus Church that Babcia Rose said was good luck and that turned out to be. We are one year married and about eight weeks pregnant and I am walking around knowing both of these things simultaneously and it is an enormous amount of good to hold at once.

I made the cacio e pepe. Same recipe, same pasta, same Pecorino Romano, same method — pull it off the heat, work fast. Ryan opened the same kind of cheap wine we always have for this occasion. We ate at the kitchen table in the warm ivory kitchen and I told him something I had not said directly before: I said I am more sure of us than I am of anything else in my life, and I mean everything else. He said he knew. I said I know you know. He said: happy anniversary. I said: happy anniversary. We finished the pasta and did the dishes together and that was it and it was exactly everything.

I am eight weeks pregnant and mildly nauseous most mornings and ravenously hungry by noon and I have been eating rice and plain chicken and crackers and the occasional thing I can actually smell without it being a problem, which shifts daily. This is not the blog post material yet. The blog post material is the cacio e pepe and the anniversary and the word yes said at a kitchen sink a year and a half ago with wet hands and a dish towel. That is the story the blog gets. The other story is still ours alone.

Four more weeks until twelve weeks. I am holding it well. Ryan is calm and present and buys ginger ale in bulk and has started reading the pregnancy book in the evenings like it is a briefing document for the most important operation of his career. I said it is not actually that much like a fire. He said all the parts that matter are the same: you prepare, you show up, you adapt to what actually happens. I said that is the best description of both I have heard. He wrote it down. He said it might be the caption for something he draws.

The cacio e pepe is our recipe—Ryan’s and mine—and I don’t share it here because some things belong to the kitchen table they were made at. What I can share is the feeling: warm cheese pulled around hot pasta, the kind of dinner that asks nothing of you except to sit down and mean it. This five-cheese rigatoni lives in that same register. It’s the pasta you make when the occasion is big enough to deserve something rich and unhurried, when you want the food to say what words almost can’t. If you’re holding a lot of good at once, this is the recipe for that night.

Five-Cheese Rigatoni

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 lb rigatoni pasta
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk, warmed
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup shredded provolone
• 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup ricotta
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for pasta water
• Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook rigatoni 1–2 minutes less than package directions (it will finish in the sauce). Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before draining.
2. Make the base. In a large, deep skillet or saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 1 minute until fragrant. Whisk in flour and cook another minute to form a roux.
3. Build the sauce. Slowly pour in the warm milk and heavy cream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 5–7 minutes.
4. Add the cheeses. Reduce heat to low. Stir in mozzarella, provolone, Parmesan, and Pecorino Romano a handful at a time, letting each addition melt fully before adding the next. Stir in ricotta last. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
5. Combine and finish. Add the drained rigatoni to the sauce and toss to coat thoroughly. If the sauce feels tight, add reserved pasta water a splash at a time until it moves easily. Cook together over low heat for 2–3 minutes.
6. Serve. Divide into bowls or serve family-style from the pan. Finish with a crack of black pepper and fresh parsley if you like. Eat while it’s hot, at a table, with someone you mean it with.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 610 | Protein: 27g | Fat: 26g | Carbs: 66g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 680mg