Need small pasta for babies?

heppy23

We have a 10 month old baby and every other weekend I cook a few meals which are then split and frozen.

A lot of the recipes requiring pasta specify very small pasta or a type of pasta called "orza" which is like rice.

This small pasta is quite hard to track down so today I had a brainwave.
I got some dry pasta and gave it a quick wizz in the blender.
Cooked pasta can be quite claggy and tricky to blend.

Result - a rice like pasta and now William has some yummy vegetable pasta risotto in the freezer.

Anne_Marie_2

Far too late for me to use for babies Heppy, but a very useful tip nonetheless. Am going to give it a try for making pasta soups like minestrone or noodle. It costs a packet to buy those minute little pasta shells compared to normal size, and that is as you say, when you can find them.

On the other hand, when preparing pasta dishes for very young children, you can cook the pasta first, then blend with whatever sauce you want to use - might be easier to blend everything together.

saver_sam

I found in one of the supermarket mini, and i mean mini, bows shaped pasta and i used this.

Ticklemouse

I too used to use those mini bows. I also used to use the tiny spaghetti pieces for soups - farfellini? They are good for toddlers too.

heppy23

Anne_Marie wrote:

On the other hand, when preparing pasta dishes for very young children, you can cook the pasta first, then blend with whatever sauce you want to use - might be easier to blend everything together.

William is past the puree stage. We have been puree'ing half and mashing half and mixing the two but even that it too sloppy for him now really. Mashed up stuff is best for him at the moment but pasta seems to clog the masher quite easily.

heppy23

Ticklemouse wrote:

I too used to use those mini bows. I also used to use the tiny spaghetti pieces for soups - farfellini? They are good for toddlers too.

We live in a small town in North Yorkshire. The supermarket didn't use to stock virgin olive oil because it was "too fancy".
Hence the "make your own" method for small pasta.

mini_mad_dad

mmmm pasta

stellete ~ 48
made by puglisi

https://www.puglisipasta.it

i can buy it localy but i find it easier to buy in an italian deli. 134 miles down the m4. it the smallest pasta (star shaped) i've found our 2y.o loves her pasta stars. speciecaly stars n oxo cube soupe when she's not well.
the blender idea is cool tho. and the rice shape stuff mmmm

Chell

I used to put some dried pasta in a bag and whack it with a rolling pin! Some types of pasta break down easier than others for eg, twists break easily.
The Scooby Doo/Simpson shaped dry pasta which is reduced in some supermarkets just now also bashes well.

Chell

mini_mad_dad wrote:

mmmm pasta

stellete ~ 48
made by puglisi

https://www.puglisipasta.it

i can buy it localy but i find it easier to buy in an italian deli. 134 miles down the m4. it the smallest pasta (star shaped) i've found our 2y.o loves her pasta stars. speciecaly stars n oxo cube soupe when she's not well.
the blender idea is cool tho. and the rice shape stuff mmmm

If you can get hold of it you should try ebaying it. On a parenting website I use there is always threads about pasta for babies. Not everyone would take the time to prepare 'normal' pasta.

iwanttosave_2

You need to find "glutin free" pasta as he cannot have it till he is 12 months, so he shouldnt have normal pasta. They did used to seel peter rabbit shped pasta in boots not so long ago, you could try there.

Chell

iwanttosave wrote:

You need to find "glutin free" pasta as he cannot have it till he is 12 months, so he shouldnt have normal pasta. They did used to seel peter rabbit shped pasta in boots not so long ago, you could try there.

In that case you couldn't giev your babies bread before 12mths? I think glutan is only a problem if you have related problems in your family. My HV was happy for my DS to be given pasta at 6mths old.