First Baby Food Recipes: 10 Easy and Nutritious Ideas

Weaning has begun and you're wondering what to prepare? Here are 10 simple, nutritious recipes suitable for the first months of complementary feeding. All are made without added salt or sugar.

Before cooking, make sure your baby shows the readiness signs described in weaning: the first tastes. For practical setup, use the first baby meal checklist; for orientation around milk and meals, use the feeding calculator.

Ground rules

• no salt until 12 months, and watch stock cubes, ready-made broths and very salty cheeses;
• no added sugar, honey, juices or sweetened yogurts;
• use extra virgin olive oil raw, in small amounts;
• cook by steaming, boiling or baking, avoiding frying and burnt parts;
• serve suitable textures: smooth at first, then mashed or more textured when your baby is ready;
• store in the fridge for 24 hours or in the freezer for about 2 months in individual portions.

Safety before the recipe

Always check temperature and texture before serving. Food should be warm, soft and free from hard, round pieces or long strings. If you use fish, check carefully for bones; if you use meat, blend or mince it well.

For honey, cow's milk as a drink, salt, sugar, whole nuts and other risks, keep foods to avoid in the first year close.

The recipes

1. Zucchini and potato puree

The classic first baby food, gentle and usually well tolerated.

• 1 small zucchini
• 1 medium potato
• 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil

Steam for 15 minutes. Blend with a little cooking water until you reach the desired consistency. Add the oil raw.

2. Carrot and red lentil puree

Rich in iron and plant-based protein.

• 1 carrot
• 2 tablespoons of hulled red lentils
• 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil

Cook the lentils and carrot in water for about 20 minutes. Blend everything and add the oil. For the earliest tastes, pass through a sieve if the texture stays grainy.

3. Rice and pumpkin baby food

Naturally sweet and liked by many babies.

• 2 tablespoons of rice cereal
• 100 g of pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil

Steam the pumpkin. Prepare the rice cereal with water or salt-free vegetable broth. Mix together and add the oil.

4. Chicken with sweet potato

A first animal protein, easy to digest when well cooked and blended.

• 30 g of chicken breast
• 1 small sweet potato
• 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil

Steam the chicken for about 15 minutes or until fully cooked. Bake or steam the sweet potato. Blend together with a little water and the oil.

5. Pea and mint puree

Fresh, colorful and rich in plant-based protein.

• 80 g of peas, fresh or frozen
• 2-3 small fresh mint leaves
• 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil

Cook the peas for 10 minutes. Blend with the mint and oil. For the earliest tastes, you can strain them to remove skin fragments.

6. Cod with broccoli

A delicate white fish, served fully cooked and boneless.

• 30 g of cod fillet
• 3-4 broccoli florets
• 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil

Steam everything for about 12 minutes. Check carefully for bones, then blend or mash with a fork for older babies.

7. Oats with pear and cinnamon

A hearty breakfast or snack.

• 2 tablespoons of small oat flakes
• 1 ripe pear
• a pinch of cinnamon

Cook the oats in water, breast milk or formula prepared according to instructions. Cook the pear and mash it. Mix everything together with the cinnamon.

8. Banana and avocado puree

No cooking required, ready in a few minutes.

• half a ripe banana
• a quarter of a ripe avocado

Mash everything with a fork until soft. You can add a little breast milk or formula to adjust the consistency.

9. Turkey with zucchini and tiny pasta

For when your baby is ready for less smooth textures, often after a few weeks of practice.

• 30 g of ground turkey
• 1 small zucchini
• 2 tablespoons of very tiny pasta
• 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil

Cook the turkey thoroughly in a non-stick pan with no salt. Cook the zucchini and pasta in water or salt-free vegetable broth. Combine everything, mince if needed and add the oil.

10. Plain yogurt with fruit

A simple snack from 6 months, if yogurt is tolerated.

• 2 tablespoons of plain full-fat yogurt with no added sugar
• seasonal fruit, blended or mashed

Mix and serve. Vary the fruit over the days, without adding honey or sugar.

How to adapt them

At first, you can blend smooth. Then, when your baby manages food better, move to mashed, textured and eventually small soft pieces. Do not speed up only because of age: watch posture, chewing, coughing and calmness during meals.

These recipes are flexible bases. Change vegetables, grains and proteins while keeping safe cooking, no salt, no sugar and small portions.