10-Minute Gluten-Free Cacio e Pepe

Ahhhh Cacio e Pepe (**cue the stereotypical Italian hand gesture)!!! The beloved Roman pasta dish filled with pecorino cheese, salt, pepper and of course a bit of butter for good measure.

Cacio e Pepe is already a pretty simple recipe-- calling for minimal ingredients and just a little cooking time. Well, I've miraculously stripped it down even further to bring to you the one-pot gluten-free cacio e pepe of your DREAMS.

Believe me, once you taste this and realize it only took you 10 minutes to make and is free of any refined grains or sugar-- you'll be as amazed as I was when I decided to combine the only three things in my pantry to make a "snack."

Banza's chickpea "rice" has been a staple in our household since I stumbled upon it (well as much as a staple can be considering I have to import it from the U.S. to Switzerland, but alas.) It's so versatile and really serves more as an orzo or risotto replacement than rice- making it perfect for pasta salad and more, not to mention the added protein boost, oh baby!

Let me know if you try it out, I promise you will not be disappointed!

Serves 2 people as filling main dish, 3 to 4 as a side.

Ingredients:
1.5 cups (1 package) of Banza chickpea rice
1 tablespoon butter
2/3 cup of grated parmesan or pecorino cheese, plus more to top
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper, plus more to taste

Recipe:

Follow Banza instructions, cooking chickpea rice in boiling water for about 5 minutes. Reserve a few tablespoons of pasta water. Strain rice under cold water to stop cooking process.

Over low heat, mix chickpea rice, butter, grated cheese, salt and pepper until well combined. If dry, add a dash of pasta water to loosen up. Season with more salt and pepper to taste and top with grated cheese and chopped parsley, if desired.

ENJOY!!!

Nutrition (based on 4 servings):
Calories: 271, Fat: 10.4g, Carbs: 34g, Fiber: 5.7g, Protein 17.8g