If you’re looking for a summery, simple, and balanced recipe to give your weaning baby, this one will be perfect for you. Taken from my book ‘How to wean your baby’, this recipe features in my step-by-step 30-day plan for weaning (on Day 24) and introduces a lovely mix of flavours to expand little taste buds. Spinach and strawberry might sound like an unusual combo, but together they offer a wonderful balance of bitter and sweet—helping your baby learn to enjoy a variety of tastes.
I love bringing together ingredients that many of us wouldn’t typically think of pairing, and I’m always a fan of incorporating fruit into savoury dishes—when done right, it really works! Offering natural
ly sweet fruits alongside more savoury ingredients is a great way to ensure little ones grow accustomed to different flavours, rather than expecting sweetness to always stand alone.While this recipe is slightly fiddlier than some of my other weaning ideas, trust me—it’s totally worth it.
Ingredients
(Makes about 1 portion)
• 40g pre-cooked butter beans
• 1 small handful of spinach
• 4 medium strawberries (keep 1 large one aside for finger food)
Method
- Prep the beans and spinach: Drain and rinse the butter beans. Steam them with the spinach for about 4 minutes, or until the spinach is wilted. Drain and separate the two.
- Blend the spinach: Blitz the spinach briefly (just a few seconds) so it’s broken down but not completely puréed.
- Skin the beans: Once cool, use your fingers to pop the insides of the butter beans out of their skins. Discard the skins – they can be a bit tough for little mouths.
- Mash the strawberries and beans: Remove the stalks from 3 strawberries and mash them with the butter bean insides using a fork.
- Combine: Mix the puréed spinach into the mashed strawberry and butter beans. Serve alongside the remaining large strawberry, thinly sliced or offered whole for finger feeding depending on your baby’s stage.
