In effort to make his food a little more exciting (but still soft enough for him to be able to swallow whole), I started mixing his purees with his new favorite food-pasta!! It's so simple! Since I have all of these veggie and fruit purees stashed in my freezer, I figured they would make perfect "sauces" for his Pastina. Topped with a little cheese, you have some delicious fresh veggie sauces and a way to get some extra vitamins into your little one. Despite looking vibrant and beautiful, these tasted fantastic and Griffin became an instant fan. This idea is so yummy, your whole family will be able to enjoy it (add some herbs and maybe garlic and salt and pepper for more mature eaters). These veggies "sauces" are a great way to get those picky eaters to eat their veggies without having to hide them in something. Bright and colorful pasta sauces equals lotsa fun! Go ahead, call the Pea Sauce Pastina, Pasta with Slime and watch how eager your little one is to gobble it all up.
** I know for many parents jar food is the way to go for you and your family. This method will work just fine with jar food but I warn you, the nutritional value of the fresh purees is far superior and the colors and flavors will not be nearly as vibrant. My friends always marvel at how bright and vibrant my sons green peas are. I mean come on, have you ever seen anything so gorgeous????
Pastina with Carrot Sauce and Cheese
Pastina with Pea Puree aka Pasta with Slime Sauce : )
Just look at these gorgeous peas!!!!!
The things that excite me these days are pathetic. I'm a proud mama who loves her peas.
Pastina with Veggie PureeJust look at these gorgeous peas!!!!!
The things that excite me these days are pathetic. I'm a proud mama who loves her peas.
Serves 1 bambino
1/4-1/3 c cooked Pastina pasta, (made according to pkg directions, we love Barilla)
2-3 tbsps fresh/frozen veggie puree (Griffin loves carrot and pea)
1 tsp grated Parmigiano Regianno cheese
**1 tbsp Ricotta cheese (optional)- Griffin loves Ricotta mixed into his veggie pasta. It adds a nice creaminess to the sauce.
In a small bowl mix the cooked Pastina with the puree and stir until well combined. Add a little water if consistence needs adjustment. Top with grated cheese and serve.
Hi Christina, great blob btw! Anyway my daughter is an extremely fussy eater! The only thing I can get het to eat is pasta!! Ughhh everyday! She has a lot of teeth so she should be venturing out eating & trying new things, but she doesn't! So I saw ur recipe for the pastina with the baby purees, just wondering, if I did the purees just to add taste, & nutrition to plain boring pastina would I just cook the veggie, like carrots, peas, etc, and then put it through the food processor then add to the pasta? Just a ques, although it sounds rather simple! lol
ReplyDelete'm so glad you like the blog!!!
ReplyDeleteYes, steam or roast the veggies (roasting is my preference because it makes the veggies sweeter and retains more vitamins). Allow the veggies to cool slightly then puree it in a food processor with some filtered water. Then freeze individual portions in the freezer.
Each night, boil your pasta and then drain it reserving a little pasta water. Defrost and reheat the veggie puree and mix it into the pasta along with the reserved pasta water to make the sauce thinner. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top and serve. you can also serve with some ricotta mixed in which is how griffin likes it.
Start with the carrots or butternut squash she will probably love them.
here is a link to my baby puree method which you can used for squash, or carrots, etc... it gives you links to the containers I use to freeze his food in. You can buy them at BRU
http://www.takebackyourtable.com/2009/03/bright-beginnings.html