Pasta with prepared pesto (or “green sauce” as my children call it) is in the weekly meal rotation at my house. But occasionally I want to level things up with homemade pesto, and that’s where Dan Pashman’s cookbook, “Anything’s Pastable: 81 Inventive Pasta Recipes for Saucy People” (HarperCollins, $35), comes in.
Pashman is a food enthusiast, award-winning podcaster and the inventor of the curlicue-like pasta shape cascatelli. He teamed up with several of the country’s best recipe developers for his cookbook, which offers practical and highly unique recipes for cooks who, as he says, “are less concerned with old traditions and more interested in new combinations.” Critically, for those of us needing simple weeknight recipes, the book includes accurate cooking time estimates and plenty of recipes with short ingredient lists.
One of those is Pashman’s cascatelli with spicy broccoli rabe pesto. Instead of basil, the pesto is made from bitter broccoli rabe, which mellows out when blanched in boiling water, garlic and spicy Calabrian chile paste. When tossed with pasta (you can also use a different small curly shape if you can’t find cascatelli), the pesto is more complex than traditional, but with familiar brightness and herbal complexity. If I had one quibble, I’d prefer to make the pesto with some Parmesan cheese blended in, rather than sprinkled on top, but it’s great as written. Plus, the kids ate it.
Cascatelli with Spicy Broccoli Rabe Pesto
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1 bunch broccoli rabe (about 1 pound), bottom 2 inches of the ends trimmed
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1 to 2 tablespoons Calabrian chile paste (depending on desired spiciness), plus more for serving
- 1 to 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 1 pound cascatelli, vesuvio, radiatore or cavatappi pasta
- Finely grated Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)
- Bring 4 quarts of water and 2 tablespoons salt to a boil in a large pot. In a large bowl, combine about 4 cups of ice and 6 cups of cold water. Add the broccoli rabe to the boiling water, making sure it’s completely submerged, and cook until the stems are tender, about 2 minutes. Use tongs to transfer the rabe to the ice bath and let sit for at least 2 minutes; keep the water in the pot at a boil.
- Transfer the rabe to a strainer and use your hands to squeeze out the excess moisture, then add the rabe to the bowl of a blender or food processor. Add the oil, chile paste, garlic and remaining 1 teaspoon salt and blend until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary. (At this point, the pesto can be kept, covered, at room temperature for a few hours, refrigerated for up to to 1 week or frozen for up to 2 months.)
- Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions until just al dente. Reserve 2 cups of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot (off the heat). Add the pesto and 3/4 cup of the reserved pasta water and stir until the pasta is well coated. (If necessary, add more pasta water 2 tablespoons at a time until the sauce is creamy but clings to the pasta.)
- Transfer the pasta to a serving dish or individual bowls, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired, and serve with more chile paste. If making ahead, as with any pasta you’re transforming into a pasta salad, cover for up to 2 hours and toss with a drizzle of olive oil before serving.
Serves 4 to 6.
Per serving, based on 4, without grated Parmesan cheese: 630 calories (percent of calories from fat, 32), 19 grams protein, 89 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams total sugars, 7 grams fiber, 23 grams total fat (3 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 607 milligrams sodium.
From “Anything’s Pastable” by Dan Pashman (HarperCollins, 2024). Copyright Dan Pashman. Reprinted with permission.
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