Pea Orzotto - Little veggie eats

This is a mid-week staple of mine and one that the kids always polish off. Frozen peas might seem like an innocuous filler veg but they are actually a great source of protein and fibre. They are also brilliant for a baby mastering their pincer grasp (which generally occurs between 8 and 12 months).If your baby isn’t great with texture you can blend their portion and top with milled rather than whole pine nuts. If you are baby-led weaning you might want to let the orzotto cool slightly and then roll your baby’s portion into balls.

Prep:

5 minutes

Cook:

20 minutes

Serves:

2 adults and a baby
Best for 8 months+

Ingredients:

4 tbsp pine nuts
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 courgette, grated
1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped
½ cup/100g orzo
1 1/2 cups/350ml low-salt stock
1 cup/140g frozen peas
Generous handful of grated
cheese (leave out if dairy-free, or use 2 tbsp nutritional yeast)

"I’ve used courgette in this recipe but you can switch this for ¼ head of cauliflower or broccoli, finely chopped,depending on what’s available."

01:
Toast the pine nuts in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Keep stirring until they have a bit of colour on all sides, which will take about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the olive oil to the pan and heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the courgette and garlic and cook for a further minute.

02:
Add the orzo and stir for a minute, then add the stock. Bring to the boil and then turn down to a low simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the orzo is cooked (it will be soft with no crunch left to it).

03:
When the orzo is cooked, add the peas and cook for another 3 minutes until the peas are cooked. Turn the heat off, then stir in the cheese, if using. Top with the toasted pine nuts and serve.

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