Baby Food Recipes with Green Peas

Like most legumes, green peas are a great source of protein and an excellent way of introducing babies to solids. Green peas have a whole world of benefits and most importantly, will go well with the baby’s stomach. Herein are more details on this excellent ingredient of great nutritional benefit.

In this article, we talk all about introducing green peas into your baby’s diet and we name some homemade baby food recipes your baby will love!

The recipes in this article:

Recipe 1 – Green peas, carrots, and sweet potato
Recipe 2 – Green peas and corn
Recipe 3 – Green peas, chicken, and rice

You might also be interested in our recipes with chickpeas, green beans or carrots.

We recommend the use of fresh rather than frozen peas. Frozen peas usually do not taste as good and as yummy as fresh whole garden green peas.

When can a baby eat green peas?

The usual age to introduce green peas to your baby is 4-6 months. But make the peas into a puree just to be safe. The baby may experience gas or discomfort. In such a case, it would be best to wait until the child is eight months old to feed him green peas. Nevertheless, if your baby does not experience any discomfort, then six months is the standard age for the introduction of solid food.

The best recommendation when it comes to introducing solids, especially green peas, is to enquire from your pediatrician. This way you can be one hundred percent sure before you introduce green peas to your child.

Recipe 1: Green peas, carrot and sweet potato (age 4-6 months+)

For this tasty dinner recipe you will need the following ingredients:

• 100 gms Green peas
• 2 Carrots
• 1 Sweet potato

Instructions:

Step 1 – To cook sweet potato and carrot, first of all, you have to grate the carrots and the sweet potatoes into small pieces.

Step 2 – Thereafter, put them in a saucepan and boil them till their hardness vanishes and they turn rather soft. (15-25 minutes)

Step 3 – Add the green peas in the last 2-3 minutes. Cool the boiled ingredients.

Step 4 – Thereafter, put them in a blender and blend them together.

Step 5 – Blend them until it turns into a smooth blend.

Recipe 2: Geen peas and corn (age 4-6 months+)

The second recipe is very quick and easy to make. You will need these ingredients:

• 100 gms Green peas
• 100 gms corn
• 1 Cup of breast milk or formula (optional)

Instructions:

Step 1 – Cook the peas for a short while. Let them cool down and add them to a blender.

Step 2 – If you use corn from a can, you can add them directly to the blender.

Step 3 – If you use fresh corn, you first have to prepare and cook the corn.

Step 4 – Blend the ingredients until the mixture is smooth and creamy. You can add breast milk or formula if you want.

Recipe 3: Green peas, chicken, and rice (age 8 months+)

For this tasty dinner recipe you will need the following ingredients:

• 100 gms Green peas
• ½ Cup of chicken
• ½ Cup of brown rice

Instructions:

Step 1 – As the first step, you have to cook the chicken and brown rice.

Step 2 – To make it easily digestive for your baby, make sure you boil the chicken till it turns very soft.

Step 3 – Cook the peas for a short while.

Step 4 – Let the ingredients cool down and add them all to a blender or food processor.

You can add a little water if you find the puree too thick.

Feeding guide for green peas

Keep in mind that this guide only applies to peas. If you add other ingredients, like meats, the guide does not apply anymore.

We recommend that you consult with your baby’s pediatrician on introducing solid foods as generalities may not apply to your infant.

Are these recipes freezable?

You should store your batch of green peas baby meal in a refrigerator using an airtight container for up to a period of 72 hours.

You can freeze this baby food into different portions by employing ice cubes as the recipe can be prepared to make around 5-10 servings.

Which kitchen tools to use

In order to prepare these baby food recipes, you will need the following kitchen tools:

• Knife
• Tablespoon
• Vegetable peeler
• Cutting board
• Cooking pot or saucepan
• Blender or food processor
• Food storage containers or an ice cube form

Nutritional Benefits

The best effects of green peas can best be seen when given at least once a day to your baby. Apart from the apparent protein value, green peas are a great source of calcium. Calcium as most of us are aware, helps grow a baby’s bones and teeth making him or her super strong.

Additionally, green peas are also a great source of vitamins. These vitamins include Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B1, and Vitamin B6. They are also sources of iron which aids in hemoglobin and blood formation. Green peas shells are sources of fiber that help relieve constipation. Folates and niacin can also be found in green peas.

Preparation of Green Peas

For fresh peas, snap off the stems of the peas first. Then tug the peas down to remove the string and then split open the pods. Run your thumb down the central middle to remove the peas entirely from the pod.

For frozen peas, open the bag containing the peas. If the peas are frozen, break them apart using your hands. Place one cup of the peas into a microwave. Add one tablespoon of water since peas produce their own water, there is no need to put too much water. Seal tightly with plastic wrap. Cook until crisp and bright green for around two minutes.

The procedure for fresh peas is similar to the one for frozen peas, with a few exceptions. Put two tablespoons of water instead of one for fresh peas. Also, cook for five minutes instead of two minutes.

Finally, drain the water using a strainer. Do this after removing it from the microwave and getting rid of the plastic wrapper. Use the peas for baby food recipes with green peas mentioned above.