Classic Minestrone Italian Soup Recipe For Baby
Table of Contents
Homemade Minestrone Soup
This classic minestrone Italian soup is an excellent choice for baby-led weaning as it allows you to control the ingredients and ensure they are fresh, wholesome, and free from additives often found in tinned varieties. Great for the winter months and this time of year too.
By making minestrone at home, you can customise the vegetables to suit your baby's taste preferences and dietary needs, introducing a variety of flavours and textures that are crucial during this developmental stage.
Homemade soups can be pureed to a suitable consistency, making it easier for little ones to grasp and enjoy nutritious bites.
With vibrant vegetables and simple seasonings, a homemade minestrone is not only tasty but also packed with essential nutrients that support your child's growth and development.
Soup For Baby Recipe
Soup is a great option for babies beginning their journey with baby led weaning, as it offers a nutritious and easily digestible meal.
The soup can be made suitable for little ones by pureeing or leaving it chunky, allowing them to explore different consistencies.
Soups can be packed with a variety of vegetables, proteins, and grains, making it simple to introduce new flavours and ingredients.
The warm temperature can be comforting, while the soft nature of the ingredients encourages self-feeding without the risk of choking.
Serving soup alongside a soft bread roll or toasted fingers can also enhance the experience, providing a delightful and wholesome meal for lunch or dinner.
Benefits of Soup
Soup is an excellent addition to a baby's diet and can offer numerous benefits as they grow.
It is a versatile dish that can be packed with nutrients, allowing parents to incorporate a variety of vegetables into their child's meals.
The smooth texture of blended soups makes them ideal for little ones transitioning to solid foods, and they can help introduce new flavours in a comforting way.
Soup can be a fantastic source of hydration, which is crucial for maintaining overall health.
As children grow, soup continues to be a simple, nourishing option that can adapt to their changing tastes and nutritional needs, making it a lasting staple for families.
Ingredient information
Onion - I have used a red onion but you can use a yellow onion, a couple of shallots or you could use onion granules as well.
Celery - Celery in a soup gives so much flavour and great to add an extra veggie to a meal.
Carrot - I have diced the carrot but you can grate the carrot if you prefer. Adds a sweetness to the soup and is a great base to a soup with the celery and onion.
Garlic - I have used garlic pepper, you can just use garlic granules or garlic powder. Or you can use a fresh clove of minced garlic, with a little black pepper.
Bay leaf - Bay leaves add a yummy fragrant flavour, perfect for soups and sauces.
Tomatoes - I have used tinned plum tomatoes, feel free to use chopped tinned tomatoes. You could use a tomato sauce such as a tomato passata with a little tomato paste.
Cannellini beans - I have used cannellini beans, you could use other alternatives such as red kidney beans, borlotti beans, white beans such as haricot beans or flageolet beans.
Green lentils - You could leave the green lentils out, I have added for extra nutrition.
Mixed herbs and oregano - These dried mixed herbs are great to add flavour to the soup. You could use an Italian seasoning too as an alternative. Feel free to use fresh herbs such as fresh basil or fresh oregano.
Paprika - I have added paprika as it is a great little spice to add to tomato based sauces or soups. Feel free to add red pepper flakes for the adults if you like.
Stock cube - I have used a zero salt stock cube as it adds flavour without the added salt that usual vegetable broth has. You could also use a chicken stock cube if preferred.
Orzo - I have used orzo or you could used broken pieces of spaghetti, lasagne sheets or small shells.
Serving suggestion
This classic Italian soup would be great served with toasted bread fingers spread with unsalted butter. You could serve with a wholemeal bread roll spread with a little unsalted butter or cream cheese.
For extra green veggies you could add in green beans or spinach to the traditional minestrone soup recipe. This recipe is great if you have any leftover vegetables to use up.
Feel free to add a little grated parmesan cheese to the top of the soup, from 12 months old.
Other hearty soup recipes you may like: Carrot and pumpkin soup, Roasted tomato soup or Sweet potato soup.
Storage instructions
The soup can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days, stored in an airtight container. The soup really does taste better for some reason the next day.
If you wanted to freeze the soup, you will need to make sure that the soup has cooled down to room temperature before transferring to either a freezer bag (carefully) or airtight container. Ensure that the bag and airtight container is labelled with the item and the date. I use masking tape to label the airtight container.
To defrost the soup, leave in the fridge overnight and make sure that it is fully defrosted, before re heating.
To reheat, place the defrosted soup in a saucepan and reheat on a medium heat for 15 minutes.
Once the soup has been defrosted you will not be able to reheat or re freeze.
Equipment used to help with this recipe
Saucepan - So many pan sets out there but I particularly like to use pans with a non-stick surface for ease of cleaning and ones that are suitable for different types of hob surface.
Airtight container - I much prefer the click-shut lids on these containers compared to others. They are also dishwasher and freezer safe and BPA free, so very suitable for food use.
Recipe | Classic Minestrone Italian Soup Recipe For Baby
Classic Minestrone Italian Soup Recipe For Baby
Ingredients
Instructions
- Start by pouring the olive into a large pot. Add in the onion, carrot and celery, cover and cook on a medium-high heat for 15 minutes, stir a few times to check the vegetables are not sticking. Turn down the heat if needed.
- Add the garlic powder and stir and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the plum tomatoes, bay leaves, beans, lentils, mixed herbs, oregano, paprika, vegetable stock cube and hot water. Give everything a good stir and cook for 10 minutes uncovered.
- Add in the orzo pasta and cook for a further 25 minutes uncovered, stirring regularly. If you need to add in a splash of water towards the end of cooking time, add it in to get a thinner consistency if needed.
Notes
If you wanted to make this hearty meal recipe gluten-free, add in a gluten free pasta of choice. You could break up small pieces of gluten-free spaghetti if you wish. This would resemble a classic minestrone soup.
Why not try adding in some cooked shredded chicken to make a chicken minestrone soup.
This is a great recipe for the slow cooker too. Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker with 1l of water and cook 6 -8 hours on low and 3-4 hours on high.
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