Butternut Squash Baby Food Recipes

Baby food butternut squash makes one of the most perfect first foods for babies. It's sweet, nutty and creamy taste makes it an instant favorite (it did with my girls). Butternut squash is actually a winter squash that belongs to the Gourd family. It's shaped like a bell, with a sort of narrow top and a round bottom and has an orangy to yellow colored flesh and hard skin. You can find butternut squash for your homemade baby food at most supper markets.


The butternut is, apart from it's rich lovely taste, a very nutritious fruit and you can use it in many ways to add some variety to your baby's diet. It's a great source of  Vitamin A which is good for babies and small children's eyes sight. It also contains Vitamin C which babies need for the prevention of colds and also helps the body absorb iron more easily, potassium, Calcium for the good growth of bones and healthy teeth, Magnesium, Vitamin E, Thiamin just to mention a few. This fruit is an easy must!

When Can Butternut Squash Baby Food Be Introduced To Babies?

Butternut squash baby food can be introduced to babies by 6 months of age  (4 months old for early starters), again ask your child's pediatrician before introducing new foods to your baby. Its creamy texture when pureed makes it an easy first food and easily becomes one of the favorites. Its easy to prepare and mixes well with a lot of other foods. You just have to be creative with this fruit because it is can be quite versitile for making different kinds of baby food. 

Butternut Squash Baby Food Cooking Methods

Butternut squash baby food can be cooked in a lot of ways, though baking it preserves most of its nutritious goodness and taste. You can boil butternut or simply steam it. You can also cook it together with other ingredients in the some pot.

Baking : Cut one butternut lengthwise into two halves and remove all the seeds. Brush a baking dish with some oil or unsalted butter. Place the two halves into the  baking dish with the cut side down. Bake in a preheated oven for about 35 minutes or until soft.

Boiling and Steaming: Wash and peel the butternut then cut it into 1 inch pieces. Boil in as little water  as possible or steam until soft.  Puree or mash.

Some Easy Butternut Squash  Baby Food Recipes

Basic butternut squash baby food puree

Ingredients:

Half a butternut

1 tsp unsalted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius. Grease an oven  proof dish with some vegetable oil or unsalted butter. Place the butternut squash on to the dish with the cut side facing down. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until cooked and soft. Remove from oven and scope out the flesh into a bowl using a spoon. Add the unsalted butter and puree to a smooth consistency adding cooled boiled water if you wish to achieve a more lighter consistency. You can combine this puree together with other purees such as apple puree, pear puree, cauliflower puree and much more!

Butternut squash Cinnamon Puree 

Ingredients:

130g peeled and chopped butternut

200ml water for cooking

1/2 a cinnamon stick

Directions:

Bring water to the boil in a small saucer pan and then add the butternut and the cinnamon stick. Cook butternut  until soft. Remove the stick from the pot and discard. Puree the butternut to a smooth consistency. Add cooled boiled water or breast milk if you desire a lighter consistency.

Butternut, Leek And Carrot Puree

Ingredients:

1 medium to large carrot, peeled and chopped

20 g thinly sliced leeks

160g Scoped out flesh of a baked butternut 

1 tsp unsalted butter (optional)

Water for steaming

Directions:

Steam the carrots and leeks slices together  until soft. In a bowl mix the baked butternut, the leeks, carrots and unsalted butter together and puree to smooth consistency. Add a bit of cooled boiled water or breast milk if desired.

















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