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Anything's Pastable: 81 Inventive Pasta Recipes for Saucy People
The innovative James Beard Award–winning podcaster who changed the way you think about pasta shapes with his invention of the viral sensation cascatelli now does the same for pasta sauces in this fun and charmingly obsessive cookbook, which includes a foreword from bestselling author J. Kenji López-Alt.
When Sporkful podcast host Dan Pashman launched cascatelli, a new pasta shape he invented that he designed to hold tons of sauce, stay on the fork, and be incredibly satisfying to bite into, it went viral and was named one of TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions of the Year. VICE called him "a modern pasta legend."
But as Dan was flooded with pictures of what people were making with his pasta, he was disappointed to see how limited the dishes were: tomato sauce, meat sauce, mac and cheese, over and over. A few party animals made pesto. So Dan set out to revolutionize people’s conceptions of pasta sauces, just as he did with pasta shapes. He traveled across Italy and worked with an all-star team of recipe developers in the US to create a new kind of pasta sauce cookbook for people bored with the old standbys. That’s why there’s no 3-hour marinara recipe or fresh pasta made from scratch in this book. No photos of Nonna's caked in flour or the hills of Tuscany. Instead it’s time to show the world — Anything’s Pastable.
Here you’ll enjoy dishes inspired by a range of ingredients and cuisines:
▪Kimchi Carbonara
▪Cacio e Pepe e Chili Crisp
▪Keema Bolognese
▪Mapo Tofu Cascatelli
▪Shakshuka and Shells
▪Smoked Cheddar and Chicken Manicotti “Enchiladas”
▪Linguine with Miso Clam Sauce
▪Shrimp and Andouille Mac and Cheese
Lesser-known Italian pasta dishes with a twist:
▪Spaghetti all’Assassina (spicy pasta pan fried until charred and crispy crunchy)
▪Ciceri e Tria (chewy fresh pasta with crispy fried pasta in a light chickpea broth)
▪Cavatelli with Roasted Artichokes and Preserved Lemon
▪Creste di Gallo with Fava Beans and Dandelion Greens
▪Pasta Frittata
Fun and delicious concoctions that may—or may not—be how they do it in Italy:
▪Spinach Artichoke Dip Lasagna Pinwheels
▪Pasta Pizza (the “crust” is fettucine fused together)
▪Roman Cafeteria Hot Dog Pasta Salad with Canned Veggies
With an incredible array of recipes, Dan showcases the limitless "pastabilities" when you really know how to use your noodle.
When Sporkful podcast host Dan Pashman launched cascatelli, a new pasta shape he invented that he designed to hold tons of sauce, stay on the fork, and be incredibly satisfying to bite into, it went viral and was named one of TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions of the Year. VICE called him "a modern pasta legend."
But as Dan was flooded with pictures of what people were making with his pasta, he was disappointed to see how limited the dishes were: tomato sauce, meat sauce, mac and cheese, over and over. A few party animals made pesto. So Dan set out to revolutionize people’s conceptions of pasta sauces, just as he did with pasta shapes. He traveled across Italy and worked with an all-star team of recipe developers in the US to create a new kind of pasta sauce cookbook for people bored with the old standbys. That’s why there’s no 3-hour marinara recipe or fresh pasta made from scratch in this book. No photos of Nonna's caked in flour or the hills of Tuscany. Instead it’s time to show the world — Anything’s Pastable.
Here you’ll enjoy dishes inspired by a range of ingredients and cuisines:
▪Kimchi Carbonara
▪Cacio e Pepe e Chili Crisp
▪Keema Bolognese
▪Mapo Tofu Cascatelli
▪Shakshuka and Shells
▪Smoked Cheddar and Chicken Manicotti “Enchiladas”
▪Linguine with Miso Clam Sauce
▪Shrimp and Andouille Mac and Cheese
Lesser-known Italian pasta dishes with a twist:
▪Spaghetti all’Assassina (spicy pasta pan fried until charred and crispy crunchy)
▪Ciceri e Tria (chewy fresh pasta with crispy fried pasta in a light chickpea broth)
▪Cavatelli with Roasted Artichokes and Preserved Lemon
▪Creste di Gallo with Fava Beans and Dandelion Greens
▪Pasta Frittata
Fun and delicious concoctions that may—or may not—be how they do it in Italy:
▪Spinach Artichoke Dip Lasagna Pinwheels
▪Pasta Pizza (the “crust” is fettucine fused together)
▪Roman Cafeteria Hot Dog Pasta Salad with Canned Veggies
With an incredible array of recipes, Dan showcases the limitless "pastabilities" when you really know how to use your noodle.
275 pages, Hardcover
First published March 19, 2024
141 people are currently reading
383 people want to read
About the author
Dan Pashman
2 books11 followersDan Pashman is the creator and host of the two-time James Beard and Webby Award–winning podcast The Sporkful, which he says is not for foodies, it’s for eaters. He’s also the creator and host of Cooking Channel’s You’re Eating It Wrong.
In 2021 Dan launched the new pasta shape cascatelli, a viral sensation that TIME Magazine named one of the Best Inventions of the Year. The story of Dan’s three-year quest to create cascatelli was told in The Sporkful podcast’s “Mission: ImPASTAble” series, which the New York Times named one of the 10 Best Podcasts of 2021. Cascatelli is now in more than 3000 stores across America. In early 2023 Dan received international media attention when he launched two more pastas—obscure Italian shapes called vesuvio and quattrotini—that he produces with the artisanal pasta company Sfoglini, who also make the original version of cascatelli.
In 2021 Dan launched the new pasta shape cascatelli, a viral sensation that TIME Magazine named one of the Best Inventions of the Year. The story of Dan’s three-year quest to create cascatelli was told in The Sporkful podcast’s “Mission: ImPASTAble” series, which the New York Times named one of the 10 Best Podcasts of 2021. Cascatelli is now in more than 3000 stores across America. In early 2023 Dan received international media attention when he launched two more pastas—obscure Italian shapes called vesuvio and quattrotini—that he produces with the artisanal pasta company Sfoglini, who also make the original version of cascatelli.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
April 7, 2024
Listen, I'm no Chef. I'm just browsing cookbooks until I find one that suits me - as one does! While this particular cookbook didn't really have exactly what I was looking for, I really enjoyed reading it. (Although I will be looking out for the Cascatelli to try one day. I may also try the Crawfish dish. As a Louisiana native I have to try ALL Cajun inspired dishes I see.)
If you're looking for saucy recipes in here then seek those elsewhere because the author explained that after creating cascatelli, he kept seeing the same dishes over and over - which inspired this cookbook! There is a range of different dishes inspired and created by different chefs - even his mom created a dish! (Yes, there is a mac-n-cheese dish.)
Honestly, even though this is Dan's project, as a reader I loved reading about how the family was involved here and there. (Hello family cookbook!) I normally skip all the long paragraphs in cookbooks, but Dan's is informative about the dishes and tells you the story of how those dishes came to be. When browsing cookbooks, I often forget that people have trial and errors while writing cookbooks because you have to make the dish multiple times until its perfectly delicious. (Something I always forget.) It's like my brain automatically thinks these dishes popped out of nowhere and were slapped in a book. To read that one dish took so much time and struggle really is something my brain needed.
Dan, why the Angel Hair Pasta hate!!! 😭
Circling back to the Cajun dishes: The dish looks amazing! One thing I want to add is that maybe there should also be a note for the type of Creole/Cajun seasoning used for the dish. When I talk about Cajun recipes with non-cajuns the FIRST thing they ask me is about the brand of seasoning to use. Not many people know where to find authentic seasoning brands.
(Tony Chachere's (BOLD), Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning, Zatarain's Cajun/creole seasoning may be a few options. Only ones I can think of at the moment but there's a lot of options, but some readers may not know where to go or what to look for. )
Anywho! This Cookbook has many dishes and some fusions that many people would love to try! There are even dishes that only take 25 minutes to make if you're looking for something simple.
- Includes photos of some dishes
- Easy to follow instructions
- Punny
- Includes mini-Rants
- I learned there is something called the Encyclopedia of Pasta (so much pasta omg)
- Includes Vegetarian options
If you're looking for saucy recipes in here then seek those elsewhere because the author explained that after creating cascatelli, he kept seeing the same dishes over and over - which inspired this cookbook! There is a range of different dishes inspired and created by different chefs - even his mom created a dish! (Yes, there is a mac-n-cheese dish.)
Honestly, even though this is Dan's project, as a reader I loved reading about how the family was involved here and there. (Hello family cookbook!) I normally skip all the long paragraphs in cookbooks, but Dan's is informative about the dishes and tells you the story of how those dishes came to be. When browsing cookbooks, I often forget that people have trial and errors while writing cookbooks because you have to make the dish multiple times until its perfectly delicious. (Something I always forget.) It's like my brain automatically thinks these dishes popped out of nowhere and were slapped in a book. To read that one dish took so much time and struggle really is something my brain needed.
Dan, why the Angel Hair Pasta hate!!! 😭
Circling back to the Cajun dishes: The dish looks amazing! One thing I want to add is that maybe there should also be a note for the type of Creole/Cajun seasoning used for the dish. When I talk about Cajun recipes with non-cajuns the FIRST thing they ask me is about the brand of seasoning to use. Not many people know where to find authentic seasoning brands.
(Tony Chachere's (BOLD), Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning, Zatarain's Cajun/creole seasoning may be a few options. Only ones I can think of at the moment but there's a lot of options, but some readers may not know where to go or what to look for. )
Anywho! This Cookbook has many dishes and some fusions that many people would love to try! There are even dishes that only take 25 minutes to make if you're looking for something simple.
- Includes photos of some dishes
- Easy to follow instructions
- Punny
- Includes mini-Rants
- I learned there is something called the Encyclopedia of Pasta (so much pasta omg)
- Includes Vegetarian options
March 27, 2024
Incredibly fussy recipes that look…out there…solely for ✨the aesthetic✨ and not necessarily for dishes that actually taste good.
December 9, 2025
I'm putting this in a pasta themed grab bag (I've heard it's rude to read books before gifting them so shh)
March 31, 2024
So many delicious looking recipes! I'm excited to dig into this book and start making some fun pasta dishes. I was especially excited to see a few different types of pangrattati, which are essentially crunching toppings for your pasta. A typical "home alone" meal for me is a simple pasta with a fried egg and pangrattato, but it had never occurred to me to add furikake or everything bagel seasoning!
Read
November 25, 2024am I counting a cookbook for my reading challenge, yes I am
Read
April 17, 2024the dishes in this book didn’t excite me nearly as much as i expected them to😢
January 24, 2025
Random ass recipes to fill up a book. Pasta pizza? Manicotti enchiladas? Pasta frittata? I love pasta but this ain’t right.
January 26, 2025
I really really really wanted to love this cook book.
I listen to the sportkful and know dan pashman loves food.
The recipes sounded amazing, i kept checking out from the library and trying different ones. Eventually i decided I should own this cookbook. I kept hoping that one o these recipes would be a life changer. Dan's stories are fun to read thru.
I was mostly dirtying a ton of pans, having a ton of left overs (I learned to cut all recipes in half), and needing a ton of salt to make it edible. There are also a ton of ingredients you wont have on hand (and i have ALOT of crazy ingredients in my pantry) and have to buy for 1 recipe and then try to figure out how to use it up.
If you normally eat pasta, and are looking for something to mix up your day - this is the cook book for you.
We finally found one that might be worth re-doing - kheema bolognese - alas it is an entire page of ingredients. (which i had them all). I found the lamb and beef overkill, i would definitely stick to ground turkey and add more peas. I so wanted the ma po to be the bomb - it's in our goto meals... but the options of ingredients made it a bit smoky and hard to eat.
Anyway - i gave it 12 tries and feel i did my best... alas, not a repeat for me
I listen to the sportkful and know dan pashman loves food.
The recipes sounded amazing, i kept checking out from the library and trying different ones. Eventually i decided I should own this cookbook. I kept hoping that one o these recipes would be a life changer. Dan's stories are fun to read thru.
I was mostly dirtying a ton of pans, having a ton of left overs (I learned to cut all recipes in half), and needing a ton of salt to make it edible. There are also a ton of ingredients you wont have on hand (and i have ALOT of crazy ingredients in my pantry) and have to buy for 1 recipe and then try to figure out how to use it up.
If you normally eat pasta, and are looking for something to mix up your day - this is the cook book for you.
We finally found one that might be worth re-doing - kheema bolognese - alas it is an entire page of ingredients. (which i had them all). I found the lamb and beef overkill, i would definitely stick to ground turkey and add more peas. I so wanted the ma po to be the bomb - it's in our goto meals... but the options of ingredients made it a bit smoky and hard to eat.
Anyway - i gave it 12 tries and feel i did my best... alas, not a repeat for me
January 20, 2025
I wanted to like this. I am still working my way through his five favorite sleeper recipes of the book. It has me wondering what the actual hits are? I hate being rude but this is not my flavor profile. The nutmeg prosciutto tagliatelle was SO subtle it was lost on my and not cheesy. I made the artichoke preserved lemon cascatelli and learned I dislike preserved lemon. It tasted like I had washed a dish but didn’t get all the soap off. I kept thinking I was eating lemon pledge. Didn’t even want to keep the leftovers. It both was too pungent but also tasted like nothing? Dang - I’m sorry Dan bc I enjoy your podcast and pasta shapes! Next I will make he chili crisp malfada or curry Mac n cheese. I will report back if I find a repeater but it’s not going well…. 2 stars because I like what he’s intended to do. But things don’t seem cohesive. Maybe too many cooks means there no voice?
April 17, 2024
I initially borrowed it from the library, but I immediately knew that we'd be referring to the book for years, so I bought my own copy, and I'm SO glad I did. He not only gives you some creative recipes (we just had tahini chili crisp cascatelli with fried shallots last night!), but he teaches you HOW to think critically about dinner. I love that he thinks through the common pitfalls of a home cook. For example, prep time is included (no one STARTS with vegetables that are washed, peeled, and chopped)! And he often has you undercook pasta and then let it sit in the hot pot with the lid on while you prepare everything else because we can be slow sauciers! Love his podcast and love this book!
May 25, 2024
Extremely creative and inventive recipes, per the title. This man has capital O opinions about pasta, and I feel like I maybe learned a thing or two. Sometimes it felt like I was being yelled at. And of course part of the book is to sell his pasta shapes, of course. Thank goodness Trader Joe’s makes cascatelli!
Anyway, the recipes I want to try are the chili crisp ones, once I get my hands on a jar of Lao Gan Ma, which I know I like. There are a couple of other fun ideas—pasta pizza!?—but overall I wouldn’t need to own this. Great library checkout.
Anyway, the recipes I want to try are the chili crisp ones, once I get my hands on a jar of Lao Gan Ma, which I know I like. There are a couple of other fun ideas—pasta pizza!?—but overall I wouldn’t need to own this. Great library checkout.
June 5, 2024
some really awful stuff in here too
/////
Publishers Weekly
The recipes... aim to encourage a spirit of adventure in pasta lovers. They are organized into loose categories: flavor bombs include kimchi carbonara, while baked options include a noodle kugel with persimmon relish. Pashman doesn’t shy away from store-bought shortcuts, encouraging readers to use packaged gnocchi and tortellini and even offering a flow chart for how to improve on jarred tomato sauce depending on taste and how much time one has... Purists will balk, but adventurous home cooks will be glad they tuned in.
September 28, 2024
I’ve seen cascatelli pasta in his signature box somewhere locally, loved the shape but not the price, didn’t know its history, that’s some pasta passion there, inventor, nice job. Overall good quality cookbook, easy to follow, clear instructions, unusual flavors, easily attainable ingredients, some recipes a little fussy for my taste. The one that intrigues me the most is Italian Cafeteria Hot Dog Pasta Salad with Canned Vegetables, an authentic Italian pasta salad eaten all over Italy, that’s the one everyone will try so that’s the one I’ll start with, if they love it, it’s gotta be good.
December 8, 2024
There's almost as many pictures as I want, I enjoy the rants, facts and narratives and I appreciate the behind the scenes stuff.
I would want to try this cascatelli he talks about, but I'm not the intended audience of this book. I like my food with less pasta (I know, heresy). Also, while I like the notes, and options for swaps, I found the recipes to be too long for me, and generally require more steps or tools than I prefer to use. Those pasta pizzas do look intriguing though.
PS. love the preserved lemon love.
I would want to try this cascatelli he talks about, but I'm not the intended audience of this book. I like my food with less pasta (I know, heresy). Also, while I like the notes, and options for swaps, I found the recipes to be too long for me, and generally require more steps or tools than I prefer to use. Those pasta pizzas do look intriguing though.
PS. love the preserved lemon love.
December 23, 2024
Very enjoyable, an easy read, and so many tasty looking recipes I can't wait to try! Disclaimer: I haven't cooked anything from this book yet, but the directions seem super straightforward, I appreciate the multiple pasta options provided for each recipe, and when I'll be sure to update this review if I find that anything is lost in translation from book to kitchen.
October 17, 2025
I checked this book out from the library. While skeptical at first, I learned new things that will improve my pasta making ability tremendously. Then I ordered the pasta invented by Dan Pashman, tried one of the recipes, and now I’m hooked! I ordered the hardback on Bookshop.org, because I know I’ll come back to it again and again.
April 25, 2024
Dan, I would eat 75% of these anytime. (Not a big meat or seafood person hence the 25% off). I’ve never felt more inspired to buy and embrace preserved lemon. I can’t wait to make these recipes. Well done.
July 4, 2024
Highly recommend checking this book out! It has a lot of great recipes (I made two recipes before I finished the book). This book was interesting and engaging enough that I was able to read through it like a regular book and I appreciate that.
July 23, 2024
I was not impressed with this book. I'm a visual learner - I need to see what these recipes look like, and frankly, there just are not that many photos.
One positive that I did take away was the information on jarred tomato sauce.
One positive that I did take away was the information on jarred tomato sauce.
August 10, 2024
I listened to the podcast from the author and learned about his adventures in creating this book. He set out to write a new pasta cookbook using the pasta he created, but that would also be fun, spanning cultures and staple ingredients. There are some weird ones here, and a couple I would never touch! I am a big pasta lover and if you are too, this book is worth taking a look at. The recipe which intrigues me the most and which I’m on the hunt for, is Spaghetti all’Assassina. I am too afraid to try it at home, I think I’d just fuck it up. I have inquired about it at one of our local Italian restaurants…
Link to podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Link to podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
August 15, 2024
I wanted to really like this, but I didn't really enjoy the tone as I was reading it. There are some recipes that I absolutely would like to try before returning it to the library. However, this is not a title I enjoyed enough to buy or re-read.
August 27, 2024
I love pasta and I enjoy reading cookbooks: this book provides a plethora of info about pasta and the invention of recipes. I found some new recipes to make that include fun spices and culinary mash-ups. YUM!
September 11, 2024
One of the best pasta books I have read. I love devotion to a subject and the deep dive. Pasta is one of those basic foods we don’t question. This book explodes those habits. From ingredients to shape to sauces. Bravo!
October 9, 2024
Quite a few ingredients I've never cooked with in this book, which is always something I adore. I've made a few dishes out of here now, and some were splendid and others challenged my taste buds.
All in all, definitely some yummy recipes and I'll be cooking out of this one for years.
All in all, definitely some yummy recipes and I'll be cooking out of this one for years.
February 15, 2025
You think you have seen all the pasta recipes (and shapes!) but this book proves there is more, and they look/sound great! I am excited to try the larb-inspired dish and the go-to pasta with proscuitto, parmesan and nutmeg.
February 12, 2026
I liked:
*that it worked within the idea of dried pasta and modifying jarred sauces
*it explored how different shapes work with different types of sauce
*it combined Indian and Middle Eastern flavors with what is considered Italian pasta
*that it worked within the idea of dried pasta and modifying jarred sauces
*it explored how different shapes work with different types of sauce
*it combined Indian and Middle Eastern flavors with what is considered Italian pasta
Want to read
March 24, 2024As heard on Dinner SOS by Bon Appétit:
https://play.prx.org/listen?ge=prx_56...
https://play.prx.org/listen?ge=prx_56...
April 19, 2024
Not really my thing, but the book has pictures, lots of info, and very inventive recipes that my bland/boring palate would probably never eat.
May 13, 2024
It has a great spine.
(More seriously, it’s very good).
(More seriously, it’s very good).
May 15, 2024
These funky, fanciful pasta dishes look and sound amazing. Don't judge me for the drool marks on the pages - IBS won't let me eat 95% of the recipes, but a girl can dream!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews