Baby's First Pasta

Don't ya just love his chubby hands?


Finger Lickin' Good!

I got brave and decided that today would be the day that I made Griffin his first bowl of pasta. My son is 9 months old and doesn't even have any teeth yet, poor guy! He's been doing well with all of the thicker purees, and is a whiz at chomping on soft cheeses so I figured, why not! After all, a boy cannot live on sweet potato mash alone. A growing boy needs some variety! And by variety I mean PASTA (I am an Italian girl from Brooklyn, after all).

This recipe is our family recipe for Baby's First Pasta. It's barely even a recipe but my Grandma and my Mama served it to me, and now I am serving it to my little boy. Heck, I still enjoy it today and bet your family will too. It's made with Pastina (tiny cylindrical or start shaped pasta that is perfect for babies with little or no teeth). The only Pastina that my local store had was a little bigger than what I am used to and Griffin was definitely shocked by this new texture. After a few spoonfuls, he was chompin' like a pro.

** Full Disclosure: I made a double serving of this, added some salt to my portion and ate it right along side my boy. Delicious!


Baby's First Pasta
8 months and up
Makes 2 servings (depends on how big of an eater your baby is)

1 cup organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1/2 cup Pastina
2 teaspoon, freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
2 teaspoon, organic parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoon of whole milk ricotta cheese (optional)

Heat chicken broth in a small saucepan over medium high heat until boiling. Stir in pasta and allow to cook until pasta is very soft, about 10 minutes (baby can be introduced to al dente another time but for now the softer the better).

TIP: Add more water to the pasta if the water evaporates too quickly and the past still seems too hard.

Remove the pasta from the heat and allow to cool.

Divide the pasta into 2 bowls (or pack the other half in a container for lunch the next day). Stir in the parsley and sprinkle Parmigiano Reggiano over top. Serve with 1 tablespoon of ricotta cheese (this is optional but my boy loves his cheese and you can stir it into the pasta to add a nice creaminess which babies and parents seem to love).

Enjoy!