Creamy rice with Parmesan Cheese

This is THE recipe that my mom used to prepare when I was a child and I was under the weather with an upset tummy: healthy child comfort food!

My kids love this recipe as it is creamy, warm and tasty. I love it as it is easy to digest, healthy and so simple to prepare.

It is perfect for babies/toddlers/kids…and adults too. Four simple ingredients: rice, vegetable broth, Parmesan cheese and Extra Virgin Oil of Olive. Good for babies starting from 6 months…and, without that being said, for older kids too!

This is a recipe that will help your baby recover from diarrhea or feeling better for an upset stomach.

The rice is a natural astringent as it binds the food and makes the stools a bit more solid. It is also very high in carbohydrates, making it a great source of energy. I used Italian Arborio or Carnaroli rice, the one suggested for risotto: being very starchy means that it will get very creamy.

Parmesan cheese is the other key ingredient. Not only it will give a nice savory flavor to the rice, but it is rich in protein and calcium. You can give Parmesan Cheese to your baby starting from 6 months: it is an aged cheese, so it doesn’t have a significant amount of lactose.

If you are cooking for a baby I suggest to use a homemade vegetable broth, preferably using only potatoes and carrots (they have astringent properties). How to prepare it? Super easy, check the recipe here.

Also, once the rice is cooked you can use an immersion blender to create a nice and smooth puree’ of the right consistency for your little one. If you need to thin the baby puree’ you can add some more vegetable broth.

If you are interested in some more mom’s advices about what to cook when your baby/kid has diarrhea, check this post too.

If you are wondering which kind of cool spoon Alex is using, it’s 100% silicone and baby friendly. It’s called OlaSprout from OlaBaby and you can find it at www.olababy.us