The Sporkful In The Test Kitchen With Dan Souza & Lisa McManus
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Nov 14, 2025 Dan Pashman, a three-time James Beard Award winner and host of the Sporkful, joins Dan Souza and Lisa McManus in an engaging discussion about pasta design. They dive into the creation of his unique pasta shape, Cascatelli, focusing on its sauce-holding abilities and texture. The trio debates spaghetti's effectiveness and explores unusual pasta shapes like Vesuvio and Quattratini. Dan also shares inventive recipes, including chili crisp cacio e pepe, and waxes poetic about the culinary delights of Italy and the art of food pairing.
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Origins Of Cascatelli Pasta
- Dan Pashman invented Cascatelli after years of testing shapes to hold sauce and stay on a fork.
- The pasta launched in 2021 and became one of Time Magazine's best inventions of the year.
Ruffles Improve Sauceability
- Ruffles on pasta increase sauce-holding power and create unique textures.
- Very few pasta shapes use ruffles, so focusing on them can improve mouthfeel and sauciness.
Reviving Obscure Pasta Shapes
- After Cascatelli, Dan partnered with Sfoglini to revive two obscure shapes: Vesuvio and Cinque Bucchi (renamed Quattratini).
- Quattratini became a favorite for its structural, sauce-holding design despite each piece being denser.
