By Sukriti Wahi Hosting 02.11.2026

Ruby's Food's Cacio e Pepe with Vegan Pancetta

Save this one for your next supper club.

Welcome to Put on a Spread, a recipe series that takes you inside the kitchens – and dining rooms – of some of our favourite home cooks. For this instalment, food content creator and supper club host Ruby's Food shares her recipe for a cacio e pepe with vegan pancetta.

Equally satisfying as a comfort food and a dinner party highlight, it's a good idea to have at least one delicious pasta recipe that you've perfected on your rotation.

And if you are in search of one such recipe, this take on cacio e pepe, a creamy Italian classic with an optional plant-based pancetta for a smoky touch, by Ruby's Food, is certainly a contender that fulfils the brief.

Inspired by our new La Tavola Tableware collection with artist Brigitte Grant, read on for the full recipe and save it for your next supper club.

Ingredients

Serves 6

600g spaghetti or fettuccine
150g pecorino cheese
50g black peppercorns
3 ladles of pasta water
Vegan pancetta (optional)

Method

Cook your pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, finely grate the cheese into a bowl.
Once the pasta is done, drain, saving 3 ladles of pasta water. Add 1.5 ladles of pasta water to the cheese bowl, and it mix to form a thick paste.
Grind the peppercorns and put them into a frying pan. Add the remaining pasta water and simmer for 1 min, then add the pasta, followed by the pecorino pasta.
On low heat, slowly start to mix the paste and water until it forms a silky pasta sauce. If using the pancetta, fry in a separate pan with olive oil, then add it in.
Serve topped with more pecorino, salt and pepper – and enjoy!