Green Beans & Basil Puree +4M

Did you know that green beans are very high in Calcium? That is an essential element for your baby’s bone growth. Being easy to digest and very high in the list of “not allergenic” foods, they can be introduced in your baby’s diet even starting at 4 months of age, if you think that your baby is ready to start with solid foods.

If you want to learn more about “solid foods readiness” check out this post too 🙂

That being said…how to cook green beans?

Today’s video shows you a super simple basic recipe, perfect for the first stage of baby food. I simply washed, trimmed and cut the green beans first and oven roasted (no oil ,no salt. nothing on them) and pureed them with some water and few basil leaves. I added basil to give some flavor to the green beans, any other herb would be a nice addition. Mint is a lovely basil substitute!

I used water as thinning liquid, but you can also use breastmilk or baby formula or vegetable broth. For more information about how to thin baby food, check out this post too 🙂

I always pick up seasonal fresh green beans, preferably at the farmers’ market and I cook them within one week. I noticed that fresh green beans tend to be more tender and don’t have a rough skin nor that not so yummy “string” in the center, a hard fibrous strand running the length of the pod.

These are the tricks to create a super smooth green beans puree’:

• use super fresh green beans (the longer they stay in the refrigerator, the tougher they get)
• freeze them before cooking. if cooked from frozen they are more tender
• use a powerful blender to completely break any skin/string

The green beans puree’ can be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 5 months.

When your little one will be old enough to start chewing (even with his gums, he/she doesn’t need any teeth) at around 6/8 months, you can also steam the green beans, cut them in small pieces and offer them to your little one as finger food. They are a lovely baby led weaning idea!!