Breaking the Rules

“This has quickly become one of my favorite cookbooks! Joe makes food that is actually delicious, not just made to look delicious.”—Joshua Weissman, #1 New York Times bestselling author“With that quintessential Joe Sasto style, Breaking the Rules is a vibrant collection of recipes and tips that should give every home chef the confidence to cook with their instincts. Packed with inventive twists on familiar dishes and thoughtful anecdotes, this book is a guide to having fun in the kitchen.”—Kristen Kish, host of Top Chef, restaurateur, and author“Even after years of practice, Breaking the Rules can prove to be one of the most difficult concepts to grasp in cooking. Joe Sasto’s book, however, deliciously displays the myriad ways in which you can have some fun at convention’s expense. By looking at Italian cuisine through his unique, playful lens, he makes you want to get in the kitchen and start screwing around already.”—Andrew Rea, New York Times bestselling author of Basics with Babish“Joe Sasto’s Breaking the Rules is a bold manifesto for unleashing creativity in the kitchen. The pasta man goes beyond pasta, pushing boundaries and breaking rules—all with a perfectly curled mustache. With recipes that whip up gusto like pesto, Joe makes the intimidating approachable and proves it’s way more fun to cook outside the lines. Plus, with a pink cheetah print spine—now that’s a book I can get behind.”—Alix Traeger, author of Scratch That: Embrace the Mess, Cook to Impress“Among the many things I love about Joe Sasto is seeing the joy that cooking brings to his face. He takes his craft seriously, but he’s able to share his breadth of knowledge in the kitchen in a way that is inviting rather than intimidating. Every recipe and photo and word truly sings Sasto, which is a tune you’re happy to get stuck in your head.”—Stephanie Izard, chef, restaurateur, author, and TV personality“Joe Sasto is many things: confident, fun-loving, an enthusiastic teacher, and a passionate chef. But what makes him so successful in the kitchen is his ability to push the boundaries of tradition and redefine what great food can be, grounded firmly in the knowledge and experience to back it all up. His deliciously unconventional recipes will draw you in, charm you, and empower your everyday cooking.”—Gail Simmons, food expert, TV host, and author of Bringing It Home“Bright, cheery, festive—a perfect description of Joe Sasto and this book. Every recipe in here will make you want to invite your friends over and entertain for days. Joe’s cooking is rooted in Italian American cooking, but he’s not afraid to make it his own—or, as he says, to break the rules. Joe’s hope is clearly that you have as much fun in the kitchen as he does.”—Missy Robbins, chef and owner of Lilia, Misi, and MISIPASTA“In this superb book, Joe Sasto’s sacred dishes all get shot through his stylish prism. Stellar pastas, great shareable showstoppers, and simple weeknight family meals are all here; but it’s the craveable intensity that’s the rarity. Calabrian hot pepper becomes the perfect marriage with orange for shrimp, clams casino becomes an easy rice dish, and cacio e pepe dresses sweet corn. You will be cooking out of this book every week. Count on it.”—Andrew Zimmern, chief curiosity officer

Celebrity chef Joe Sasto found his love for cooking and Italian classics as a child at his mother’s side, and it was at the Michelin-starred Quince in San Francisco that Sasto’s passion for pasta truly began. In 2018, Sasto forged his own path and dreamed of opening his own restaurant. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March of 2020, he pivoted his career by teaching virtual pasta-making classes. With more than 100 million likes and countless viral social media videos, Sasto has become a recurring judge and chef personality across multiple shows on the Food Network. He’s also competed and appeared on Food Network shows such as Guy Fieri’s Tournament of Champions, Guy’s Grocery Games, and Chopped, as well as Bravo’s Top Chef and Top Chef All Stars. In 2022, Sasto made the Food Network’s first-ever “Hot List.” Aside from his career as a chef, Joe Sasto has developed a high-end customizable pasta and pizza tool line, and he is the creator of Tantos, the first puffed pasta chip which launched the summer of 2024. He lives in Chicago and enjoys spending time with his pup, Tito.