Easy Way To Prepare Zucchini As A Finger Food for Baby

Zucchini (known as courgettes in some parts of the world) are a type of summer squash related to both cucumber and melon. The whole vegetable – skin, seeds and all – is entirely edible and packed with nutrients including vitamin C, manganese, folates and protein.

We included pureed zucchini in our homemade baby food recipes from 6 months of age, usually paired with another veggie as it can be a little too watery served alone.

But zucchini REALLY came into its own in our household when served as a finger food! All of our babies LOVED roasted zucchini strips, which are very simple to prepare! Interestingly, steamed zucchini didn’t seem to have quite the same appeal… probably because roasting brings out and intensifies the sweetness of the vegetable, making it MUCH more tempting to their little taste buds!

To roast the zucchini

Preheat your oven to 375 deg C, 190 deg F. Then, just cut off the tops and bottoms of the zucchini and slice them lengthwise into thin strips (just under 1/4 inch thick).

Brush each side with olive oil and sprinkle with a little freshly ground black pepper (if desired).

Place the strips in an roasting pan with a heavy base and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, turn the strips over, then cook for 10 minutes more.

At this point, the strips should be lightly browned and ready to serve – we would cut them into small pieces, put them in a bowl and let baby dig in, as the pieces are very soft and easily gummed.

If you plan on serving some to the adults too, pop them back into the oven for another 5-10 minutes. This really crisps them up and chars the edges a little!

Do YOU have a special way you like to prepare zucchini for your baby, or a zucchini baby food recipe you’d like to share?

Then please leave your comments below!

UPDATE: May 2009.

We now have a new page on our site devoted to this versatile veggie.

Check out our zucchini baby food recipes and tips page