Great baby food recipes ~ Pesto Pasta Salad

I love this recipe for lunches! Cooking up a batch of this will give myself and my son lunch for a few days, which is always handy as I try to prepare lunches for the week. Anything to be less stressed when bub decides not to sleep!

Age: when you feel comfortable giving bub cooked pasta & small nuts. Around 8 months +

2 cups fresh basil leaves

1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

100g pine nuts (50g for pesto & 50g for salad)

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

300g sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

2 1/2 cups penne pasta

2 handfuls baby spinach

Pesto: Place basil, parmesan, 50g pine nuts into a food processor and blend until all ingredients are roughly chopped. Add oil and blend until a chunky paste has formed.

Pasta: Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add penne. Cook until tender.

Cool pasta slightly, then transfer to a large bowl. Add pesto and stir until all the pasta is coated. Add sun-dried tomatoes, remaining pine nuts and baby spinach. Stir until combined.

You may choose to also add some cooked chicken.

Note: You baby may not be able to swallow the spinach leaves, especially with stalks. Break into smaller pieces or don't feed to them.

Yummy!