By baby + child nutritionist / dietitian Christina Hills

This recipe has protein and iron from the peas and cashews. It’s fresh, green + packed with nutrients. If your little one loves pasta (as many little ones do!) then with this sort of dish you know they are getting a balance of nutrients, with the peas, cashews, and fresh herbs.

I made a batch of the pea pesto and served it as a side dish one night and the main event the next night using two different pasta shapes 🍝

Pea pesto ~ The recipe

YOU NEED

(Serves 3-4 adults or a combination of little and big people)

Pea pesto:

100g frozen peas straight from the freezer

Cashews 60g

120ml extra virgin olive oil

1 strip of rosemary, leaves picked off

30g basil, leaves and stalks

2 strips of mint, leaves picked off

3 garlic cloves, peeled

Generous grind of black pepper

To serve:

250g orzo pasta, cooked to packet instructions, drained, or another pasta shape

TO MAKE

Whack all the pesto ingredients in a blender and whizz until smooth and check no nut chunks remain.

Stir the pesto through the cooked pasta and warm through on a low heat on the hob, stirring constantly. This step allows the garlic flavour in the pesto to develop.

Tip:

Try serving the pesto with larger pasta pieces like penne, rigatoni and fusilli instead of (or alongside) orzo and encouraging self-feeding for little ones 7 months and up!

Night 1: Orzo

~For adults I’ve served the pea pesto stirred through some orzo as per the above recipe, but for the adults this is served on the side of some crispy pork belly and fresh plum cherry tomatoes

~Babies can eat whole orzo from 6-7 months

Night 2: Pappardelle

~For adults. I’ve served the pea pesto stirred through some Pappardelle as a main dish topped with some toasted pine nuts for extra texture and protein and fresh plum cherry tomatoes

~For babies 9/10 months+ I’d recommend cutting the pasta up small, long spaghetti is a bit of a choking hazard for little ones, and finely slice the plum cherry tomatoes or skip them

Pea pesto ~ 2 ways