Baby pasta with fresh tomatoes

Tomatoes are one of those foods that you may be unsure about giving to your baby. Not because they are allergenic, but because they may cause a not so fun diaper rush or an upset tummy due to the high level of acidity. That’s why it is recommended to introduce tomatoes (most of all raw ones) between 10 and 12 months of age, when your baby’s digestive system is more mature.
It is, of course, for you and your pediatrician to decide when is the most appropriate time to introduce tomatoes to your little one. Both my kids started enjoying tomatoes at around one year with no side effects.

With that being said, tomatoes are an incredible source of vitamin C that helps Iron absorption, and Vitamin A. Both good reasons to introduce tomatoes in your baby’s diet at the appropriate age.

Let’s talk about the recipe: super easy and super yummy. With few changes I use it for the rest of the family too!

That’s all you will need for two baby portions:

Pastina or baby pasta is a standard pasta (durum wheat flour) just in a very very very small size: baby size. In this way it is much easier to chew as, once cooked, it will be a kind of pasta cream, very close to a couscous texture. You can find baby pasta at the grocery store and it comes in different shapes (all very tiny). You can choose the one that you like, I opted for a tiny grains one.

How to proceed:

– peel the tomatoes and remove the seeds. If they are vine ripened tomatoes you should easily remove the peel just making an X incision on the peel with a sharp knife and delicately peel them. Chop them in tiny tiny pieces, the smaller, the better.

  

 

– Chop the basil leaves in small pieces

– Fill 3/4 of a sauce pan with water and let it boil. When the water is boiling add the baby pasta or pastina. Let it cook for 2 minutes or the cooking time you will find on the box. This time, as we are cooking for babies, you do not need to add any salt in the boiling water nor in the tomatoes.

– Strain the baby pasta in a colander.

– In a medium size bowl add the baby pasta, the tomatoes, the basil, the grated parmesan cheese and the oil. Mix and serve!

      

If the quantity is too much for your baby you can store the pasta in an air tight container for one day. To warm up again the pasta, add few tablespoons of water and either warm it on the stove in a small pan or in the microwave.

Enjoy!