Pasta is a healthy and easily digestible food that can be introduced into a child’s diet during weaning. Of course, it’s important to choose a pasta variety that’s easy to swallow and a sauce that they can eat when they’re first approaching new ingredients and different flavors in the first few months. That’s why we’ve collected some recipe ideas for pasta that the whole family can eat!
Pasta with pesto (for children)
We recommend using fresh herbs as much as possible in the dishes you make for the kids –to introduce new flavors and scents that will accompany them throughout their lives. Herbs are also excellent alternatives to salt and other seasonings in dishes – so we should always keep them on hand! To make a pesto that’s suitable for children, very lightly blend fresh basil – choosing only the smallest and most tender leaves. If you have a mortar and pestle, even better. Add some extra-virgin olive oil and a handful of parmesan cheese. Avoid garlic; children don’t like it and it’s not easily digestible. Pine nuts should also be avoided; they may not be tolerated well during the first phase of weaning. You can also enrich your pesto pasta with boiled potatoes and green beans cut into small pieces. If you’d like, replace the pasta with rice.
Pasta with white ragù
This is a full entrée dish for the little ones – plus it’s great for the big ones, too! Ask your trusted butcher to finely grind a chicken or turkey breast and then cook it with a little extra-virgin olive oil and a chopped carrot. Blend with some vegetable stock and complete with a sprig of rosemary (that will be removed at the end and only serves to give the dish a bit of fragrance and flavor). Season pasta with this meat sauce, adding a handful of grated parmesan cheese.
Pasta with lentils
Children should learn to eat legumes from an early age – so this pasta is a great idea to introduce into their diet. Prepare the lentils as you normally would, letting them soak for a few hours and then cooking them in boiling water with some bay leaf, onion and carrots. Once ready, mash a portion of the lentils with a masher. For the adults' portion, add the part of lentils that has remained whole. Complete with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and parmesan cheese.
Spinach and ricotta cheese pasta
Another complete meal that children like a lot is pasta with soft cheese (ricotta cheese, for example) – with some veggies added in. Spinach is one of the first ingredients that can be introduced during weaning, so use it often. In this case, blanch the spinach and blend with some good fresh cow's ricotta cheese. This cheese sauce can be used to season pasta or rice. Always add a good sprinkling of parmesan cheese at the end.
Cheese pasta
This pasta appeals to adults and children because it is really very tasty. Use a short pasta and after cooking, season it when it’s still very hot with cheese and a drop of milk to make everything more creamy. Add some Parmigiano cheese and this pasta for the kids is ready! The grown-ups can put their portion of cheese pasta back in the oven and transform it into a very simple and quick version of macaroni and cheese – by adding a knob of butter and a bit of diced fontina cheese.