Baby and toddler recipes
🐟 Tuna and sweetcorn pasta bake
A store-cupboard favourite: pasta, tinned tuna, sweetcorn and peppers in a creamy cheese sauce. Quick, filling and easy to share with the whole family.
Makes about 4 baby portions plus 2 adult
Ingredients
- 200g Fusilli
- 1 x 145g tin Tinned tuna (in spring water, drained)
- 80g Sweetcorn (frozen)
- ½ Red pepper (finely diced)
- 20g Butter (unsalted)
- 20g plain flour contains wheat
- 400ml Cow's milk (whole)
- 40g Cheddar (grated, pasteurised)
Method
- Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan). Cook the pasta until soft, adding the sweetcorn and pepper for the last 3 minutes, then drain.
- Melt the butter, stir in the flour for a minute, then gradually whisk in the milk until smooth and thick.
- Stir in most of the cheese.
- Flake the tuna and fold it through the pasta and sauce.
- Spoon into a dish, scatter over the remaining cheese and bake for 15 minutes until bubbling.
- Cool well before serving to baby.
Serving it to your baby
From 9 months, serve the pasta shapes as finger food. Blend the sweetcorn or mash the bake a little for younger babies from 7 months, as corn skins can be tricky.
For the rest of the family
Season the adult portion with salt and pepper and add a few chopped spring onions or a crunchy breadcrumb topping.
Storing and reheating
Cool quickly (within an hour), then keep covered in the fridge for up to 2 days or freeze in baby portions for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, reheat until steaming hot all the way through, stir well and let it cool before serving. Never reheat more than once.
How to introduce gluten · How to introduce fish · How to introduce milk
Weaning with OBubba
Plan meals and log what your baby loved.
OBubba keeps a record of every food your baby has tried and spots the allergens for you, so you always know what is next. Free to download.
Questions parents ask
Can babies eat tinned tuna?
Yes. Tinned tuna is fine from around 6 months. Choose tuna in spring water rather than brine, which is salty. Tinned tuna does not count as an oily fish.
How often can babies eat tuna?
Tinned tuna is lower in mercury than fresh tuna, so it can be part of a varied diet with other fish. Mixing up the types of fish you offer is a good habit.
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).