This delicious pasta bake is tossed in our homemade pesto sauce and roasted vegetables, topped with cheese then baked in the oven until the cheese is melted and piping hot. Yummy! This is definitely a dish the whole family will enjoy, including your weaning baby.
Pesto is always a great hit in our house and this pasta bake recipe also allows for more vegetables to be added - so definitely add more or whatever you have on hand.
I find that kids are more likely to try new vegetables with their favourite sauce on top. Roasting vegetables also makes them a little sweeter so they are certain to enjoy it.
Cook time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Makes: 8 adult portions
Ingredients
2 large red onions
1 large aubergine
2 large courgettes
2 red and orange pepper, deseeded and sliced
4 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp pesto, store-bought or homemade (See recipe here)
250ml crème fraiche
Freshly ground black pepper
500g pasta, cooked (We used wholegrain pasta)
150g-cheddar cheese, grated
Method
- Chop all the vegetables and preheat the oven to 190°C.
- On a roasting dish toss the vegetables in a drizzle of olive oil and roast in the oven for 40 minutes, until cooked and golden at the edges.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes. Since you will be cooking the pasta for a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard.
- Put the pesto and crème fraiche into a saucepan, season with ground black pepper, then heat gently for 2 minutes, stirring.
- Mix the pasta and vegetables into the sauce. Spoon the mixture into ovenproof dish, sprinkle with cheese.
- At this stage I divide in two using one portion straight away and the second I freeze.
Weaning and Storage
9 months+ - Introduce as a finger food for baby to pick up and self feed.