Homemade Neapolitan Sauce
From 6 months · 1 jar · 35 min
Ingredients
What you'll need
- Tomato
- Carrot
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Onion
Method
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How to prepare each food
Tomato
Choose a ripe, soft tomato. Peel off the skin (it can bunch up and be hard to chew), scoop out the seedy core, and mash the flesh or stir it into a purée. If offering a piece to hold, give a soft finger-length strip of peeled flesh. Cherry and grape tomatoes are a round choking shape, so always quarter them lengthwise into small pieces and never serve them whole or halved.
Peeled, mashed, or a soft finger-length strip; quarter cherry/grape tomatoes lengthwise.
Cherry and grape tomatoes are a classic choking shape: whole or halved, they can block a small airway. Always quarter them lengthwise into small pieces, and keep doing so until about age 4. Peel and de-seed larger tomatoes, since the skin can bunch up while chewing.
Carrot
Cook carrots until very soft, so a fork slides through with no resistance. Steam, boil, or roast, then serve as a smooth purée or a soft mash. For self-feeding, offer soft-cooked finger-length batons. Raw carrot belongs only as fine shreds. Skip added salt.
Soft-cooked finger-length batons (about thumb-width) for grasping, or smooth purée/mash. Raw carrot only as fine shreds. Press-test every piece: it should squish easily between two fingers.
Raw carrot is one of the top choking hazards for young children: it is hard, firm, and breaks into round, airway-sized pieces. Always cook it until soft enough to squish between two fingers, or grate it finely. Avoid raw carrot coins, rounds, sticks, and chunks until around age 4, when chewing is reliable.
Olive oil
Stir a small drizzle of olive oil into a smooth purée or soft mash to add calories and richness. Use it as a cooking fat for vegetables or grains, or fold a little into the finished food just before serving.
No cutting needed. Mix a small amount evenly through the food.
Garlic
Garlic adds depth to early meals without any salt. Finely mince or mash a small amount and cook it soft into purees, mashed vegetables, beans, or sauces. It is a seasoning rather than a finger food, so a little stirred through a dish is all a baby needs. Skip raw garlic and whole cloves at this stage.
Finely minced or mashed and cooked soft into a dish; not a standalone piece.
Onion
Onion is usually a flavor base rather than a food on its own at this age. Cook it down until very soft and blend it into purées, mashes, or sauces. Raw onion is sharp and firm, so keep it out for now.
Finely chopped and cooked soft, blended into a purée or sauce.
Putting it together
A homemade tomato sauce with carrot, onion, garlic, basil, and oregano, blended smooth for pasta, pizza, and more.
Cook with Lumi
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Chat with Lumi in the appSources8
- AAP - Starting Solid Foods (around 6 months)
- NHS - What to feed your baby from around 6 months
- AAP - Choking prevention guidance for infants and toddlers
- CDC - Foods that are choking hazards for infants and toddlers
- USDA FoodData Central - Tomato (nutrient data)
- USDA FoodData Central - Carrot (nutrient data)
- USDA FoodData Central - Olive oil (nutrient data)
- USDA FoodData Central - Onion (nutrient data)
General informational content, not medical advice. Always consult your pediatrician about introducing new foods, especially if your baby has any medical conditions or family history of allergies.
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