One of our favourite vegetables for making baby food – particularly when we lived in England – was the rutabaga (also known as the swede!).
Relatively inexpensive, this deceptively unattractive root vegetable has SO many things going for it! Unfortunately, though, it seems to be rather unfashionable these days and is vastly under-used as a food for babies – a purpose for which we think it’s absolutely perfect!
The rutabaga is a rich source of beta-carotene, which gives it that lovely orange-y colour when it’s cooked. It’s loaded with vitamin C and important minerals like calcium and potassium. Equally important (as far as food for our babies is concerned) it purees wonderfully to a very smooth texture, LOOKS inviting and tastes yummy… sort of ‘earthy’ and nutty!
Rutabaga (which we STILL call swede, attracting blank looks here in the Bahamas!) was one of the first foods to which we introduced our children, so they accepted it very readily. But it’s worth noting that it lacks the sweetness of vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes – so if you plan to introduce rutabaga after the sweeter veggies, you may come up against a little resistance!
A good solution is to puree up the rutabaga 50/50 with one of the sweeter veggies (or even with a fruit – it tastes great with apple) – then gradually reduce the amount of the sweet element until your little one is tucking into the rutabaga all by itself!
Today’s recipe is another great way to serve rutabaga to your baby (6 months+). The cream cheese adds an extra dimension of flavour that may make all the difference between your little one giving nutritious rutabaga a try… or refusing to eat it altogether!
What’s more, the dish is absolutely delicious for the rest of the family too and makes a super side dish to serve with dinner. Otherwise, you could freeze the prepared veggies for future meals, adding the milk and cream cheese before serving (as indicated in the recipe).
So let’s get cooking…
To Make A Rutabaga and Cream Cheese Puree for Baby You Will Need…
8 oz (around 1 1/2 cups) cubed rutabaga (peeled)
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 oz (1/4 cup) cream cheese
2 fl oz (1/4 cup) milk – use breast milk or formula if you wish
1 tbsp snipped fresh chives
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Steam the rutabaga and potato cubes or just cover with water and simmer until tender (10-15 mins).
Drain (if necessary) and mash well.
(Freeze some of the veggie mixture at this point if you wish, BEFORE moving on to the next step).
Add the cream cheese and milk to the pot, then cook (stirring) for several minutes over a low heat until warmed through and thoroughly combined.
Mix with the mashed vegetables, stir in the herbs and serve.
Delicious!
TIP: If you want the dish to be completely smooth, you can puree the vegetables instead of mashing them.
If, however, you’d like to introduce a little texture to your baby, then chop the vegetables finely once they’re cooked and stir them into the cheese/milk mixture.