Baby and toddler recipes

🍅 Squashed gnocchi with tomato and white bean sauce

Name: Squashed gnocchi with tomato and white bean sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 2 baby portions plus 2 adult portions
Ingredients: 400g Gnocchi; 1 x 400g tin Cannellini beans; 1 x 400g tin chopped Tomato; 2 cloves Garlic; a handful Basil; 1 handful Spinach; 2 tbsp Olive oil; 15g Parmesan

Soft potato gnocchi in a quick tomato, basil and cannellini bean sauce. Beans add iron and protein, tomatoes add vitamin C, and gnocchi is easy to squash flat for safety.

From 10 monthsPrep 5 minCook 20 minContains: Gluten, Milk

Makes 2 baby portions plus 2 adult portions

Ingredients

400g Gnocchi (fresh)
1 x 400g tin Cannellini beans (no added salt, drained and rinsed)
1 x 400g tin chopped Tomato (no added salt)
2 cloves Garlic (sliced)
a handful Basil
1 handful Spinach (chopped)
2 tbsp Olive oil
15g Parmesan (grated, to serve)

Method

Warm the garlic in the oil for a minute without browning.
Add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the beans and spinach and cook for 5 minutes, then stir in the basil. Mash a few beans into the sauce.
Cook the gnocchi in boiling water until they float, plus a minute.
Toss the gnocchi in the sauce and sprinkle with a little parmesan.
For baby, press each gnocchi flat with a fork before serving.

Serving it to your baby

At 10 months squash every gnocchi flat and squash the beans, as both are soft but can be swallowed whole. From 12 months cut gnocchi in half. For younger babies, mash it all together into a spoon food.

For the rest of the family

Season the adults' sauce with salt, pepper and chilli flakes, and add plenty of parmesan.

Storing and reheating

Best eaten fresh. Cool leftovers quickly and keep in the fridge for up to 1 day, then reheat until steaming and cool. Gnocchi does not freeze well once cooked.

How to introduce gluten · How to introduce milk

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Questions parents ask

Is gnocchi a choking hazard for babies?

Gnocchi is soft but dense and the right size to swallow whole, so squash each piece flat for babies and halve for toddlers.

Is shop-bought gnocchi salty?

Some contain salt, so check labels and choose lower-salt options. Serving it with an unsalted sauce keeps the meal balanced.

OBubba gives general information based on UK guidance. It is not medical advice and does not diagnose anything. Every baby is different. If your baby has a known allergy, severe eczema or a medical condition, speak to your doctor or health visitor before starting solids. Learn baby first aid, and in an emergency call your local emergency number (999 in the UK).