Danny Freeman Says Don't Underestimate Pureed Peas In Pasta Sauce - Exclusive

Pasta sauce doesn't always have to be the traditional marinara (although it's a delicious go-to for a reason). With food content creators and recipe bloggers swarming social media feeds, there's plenty of inspiration out there for home cooks who want to put a twist on classic homemade staples. For instance, Danny Freeman makes a lot of pasta online for his young daughter — and he admits to sneaking some extra vegetables into her favorites, especially disguised in pasta sauce.

Freeman, mainly recognized as Danny Loves Pasta online, has even released a whole cookbook dedicated to non-traditional homemade pasta recipes — including some yummy sauces. His mint pea sauce with radishes and parmesan incorporates, well, pureed peas and mint, in addition to the usual vibrant ingredients like olive oil, lemon juice, garlic cloves, and red pepper flakes. "It's very spring-summer," the social media personality told Tasting Table in an exclusive interview. Plus, it gets you and the family to eat your vegetables when it doesn't really feel like you are.

While discussing his mint pea sauce, Danny Freeman told us, "Actually, my husband used to make a lot to put on bread. I use it as a pasta sauce." According to his cookbook, the mint pea sauce takes little to no complicated effort. Cook the peas as you normally would, add the other ingredients, and puree in a food processor until smooth. Mix the sauce in with your favorite pasta, top it with grated parmesan and sliced radishes (optional, of course) — and voila! You have a light, refreshing dish that's perfect for any time of year.

Freeman recommends pairing the non-traditional sauce with pasta shapes like farfalle, garganelli, or fusi, but any pasta will work just fine. You can also substitute fresh peas for frozen, because let's be honest; you probably won't always have fresh peas in your refrigerator, and it's all going into a puree anyway. Finally, remember the cardinal rule when making any type of pasta dish: Always salt your pasta water when it comes to a boil for the tastiest results! Once you have these basics down, feel free to mix it up and add pureed peas — or another pureed veggie of choice — to your favorite sauces just like Freeman does.