Zucchini, Broccoli and Pine Nut Risoni

2013-03-22

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Yield : 2 cups
Prep Time : 5m
Cook Time : 20m
Ready In : 25m

I made this zucchini, broccoli and pine nut risoni a while ago and George enjoyed the last portion from the freezer for yesterday’s lunch. Adding pine nuts to the vegetable puree gave this a nice nutty, pesto like flavour. It could be quite strong for your baby initially so try starting with a just a small amount.

Nutrition Note: As well as flavour, pine nuts give this simple pasta meal a little protein boost.

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Ingredients

1 tablespoon pine nuts
1 small head of broccoli, florets only
1 large zucchini, chopped
1/2 cup risoni

Method

Step 1

Toast the pine nuts in a small frying pan over low-medium heat until lightly golden brown. Set aside to cool. Be careful not to burn them. -

Step 2

Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Add the risoni and cook for 8-10 minutes or until soft. Drain and keep warm.While the risoni is cooking, steam the broccoli and zucchini for 5-8 minutes or until tender. -

Step 3

Combine the zucchini, broccoli and pine nuts and puree (adding a little water if necessary) until you have your desired consistency. -

Step 4

Stir the puree through the pasta and serve.
(Note: Depending on your child and their texture preference you may not want need all the puree. If you have leftover puree freeze it in freezer cubes to use in other meals or stir through quinoa or couscous etc. -

Recipe Comments

posted by Kristy on September 16, 2013

Hello, just wondering if it okay to give a seven month old pine nuts? Thank you!

Reply
- posted by Jess on September 20, 2013
  
  Hi Kristy,
  It depends on the individual child however, offering finely crushed pine nuts to a 7 month old should be fine. The following points from one of our posts Babies Go Nuts should help:
  
  Introducing peanuts and tree nuts:
  -Nuts are often listed on the “foods to avoid” or “be careful” list when starting solids hence the introduction of peanuts/tree nuts into babies’ diets is often delayed.
  -However the warning is usually associated with whole nuts as they are considered a choking hazard and are not recommended for children under the age of 5.
  -Research has shown there is no evidence to suggest delaying the introduction of peanuts or tree nuts into your child’s diet will help in preventing an allergy.
  -If you do have a family history of food allergies or you are at all concerned we do recommend you seek professional advice regarding introducing peanuts/tree nuts to your child from an allergy specialist or medical professional.
  
  I hope that helps answer your question 🙂 Jx
  
  Reply
posted by Rebecca on April 9, 2014

Hi, I was wondering if you have a tomato base with veggies that would go with risoni? My daughter loves a babyfood ‘garden veggie risoni’ packet but since I found risoni in the shops I am hoping to get her on to the homemade stuff : ) Thanks, Rebecca
P.S. I think this will be a winner too with my girls – they love green pasta – lol!

Reply
posted by Cat on August 15, 2014

This is a great base recipe! You can just make it as is, or dress it up — I wanted to eat it for my lunch too, so I added a handful of fresh herbs, a splash of lemon juice and a bit of chicken broth, some pepper, and some snipped chives. I also sauteed the zucchini with some garlic. I used walnuts rather than pine nuts because that’s what I had. I pulsed it just to the texture of a rough pesto and then while baby’s serving cooled, I added Parmesan and sea salt to my serving. My nine-month-old and I both enjoyed our lunch!

Reply