Apple, Broccoli, Pea and Spinach Puree is a yummy, nourishing baby food! This puree recipe a great way to introduce green vegetables into baby’s diet when starting solid food. Did you know that when babies are continually exposed to green vegetables in their food, they are more likely to eat them later on [1]? Combining them with apple adds just enough sweetness for baby to enjoy their greens in this great first food.
Ingredients in Apple, Broccoli, Pea and Spinach Puree
You need just four ingredients to make this green vegetable baby food recipe:
Apples – I use sweet red or pink varieties of apples, like Pink Lady, Fuji, Royal Gala, Red Delicious or similar. Don’t go for green – they can be a bit tart and the sweetness is needed to balance out the greens in this recipe.
Broccoli – Fresh broccoli, chopped into small florets.
Peas – Frozen peas are perfect. Just make sure they are loose and not frozen together in a clump when adding to the simmering basket or steamer.
Fresh spinach – I use either English spinach or baby spinach in this recipe.
How to make Apple, Broccoli, Pea and Spinach Puree
This apple broccoli puree recipe is easily done on the stovetop with a pot and steamer basket. Steam the apple and broccoli until just soft before adding the peas and spinach. Once all ingredients are cooked, blend the mixture in your food processor or baby food maker with a small amount of added water.
Thermomixers? I use the simmering basket in my Thermomix. The exact cooking time may vary depending on how small you’ve chopped the apple and broccoli pieces. Make sure you’ve cooked them until just soft before adding the peas and spinach. Once all ingredients are cooked, blend in your machine with a small amount of added water.
You’ll find the recipe card below, with ingredient amounts and detailed steps for both regular and thermo cooker methods.
Commercially prepared vs. homemade baby food
When Baby LJ started solids I never bought much commercially prepared baby food. I did find having a couple of reusable pouches in the nappy bag for outings though a great option.
Very early on I bought a brand-name ‘spinach, apple, broccoli and pea’ puree, but got annoyed when I read the ingredients list and nutritional information. A sensible adult would assume the most significant ingredient would be listed first in the title on the actual product packaging. Wrong! It had just 4% spinach and 70% apple, it’s no wonder he liked it! 🤦🏻♀️ So many of the ‘vegetable and fruit’ purees I looked at contained mostly apple.
And so I bought reusable pouches and started making my own purees to fill them. Importantly, I increased the vegetable content and reduced the apple content to about 50/50.
I tried even less apple in this recipe once but Baby LJ wasn’t a fan 😂. Let’s be honest, not many of us would love just a broccoli, pea and spinach puree. The apple definitely adds a much-needed hint of sweetness to this green vegetable combination puree.
How to serve this green puree
Serve for breakfast, lunch or dinner, or as dessert! For a while there Baby LJ wasn’t sleeping, and one of MANY suggestions was to offer two courses at lunch and dinner. The theory was that babies can become bored before they are full, and so by changing flavours they may continue eating until full. This puree was served as dessert, and my boy was a bottomless pit 😂. He still didn’t sleep though 🙄.
The consistency of this Apple, Broccoli, Pea and Spinach Puree is great for reusable pouches. Check out my Apple, Pumpkin and Corn puree combination recipe, for another fruit and vegetable puree to use in the first stages of your solids journey.
You might also like to add a little cooled water and turn this puree into a green smoothie for older babies and toddlers.
If you try this Apple, Broccoli, Pea and Spinach Puree, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you! Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest too for more baby food recipes.
Happy pureeing,
Chloe x
Apple, Broccoli, Pea and Spinach Puree
Category: PuréeTap or hover to scale
Ingredients
- 1 large red apple peeled and roughly chopped (approx. 170g) (Note 1 )
- 70 g broccoli chopped into florets
- 500 ml water
- 70 g frozen peas
- 30 g spinach
Instructions
- Steam1 large red apple and 70 g broccoli using a steamer basket over a saucepan/pot with lid filled with 500 ml water, for 10 minutes or until apple is tender.
- Add 70 g frozen peas and continue steaming for 2 minutes.
- Add 30 g spinach and continue steaming for 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Reserve the water used for steaming.
- Blend the fruit and vegetables with 3 tbs of reserved water, using a food processor or electric hand blender, until you are happy with the consistency (Note 2).
Thermomix Instructions
- Put 1 large red apple and 70 g broccoli into the simmering basket.
- Pour500 ml water into the mixing bowl. Insert the simmering basket and cook for 10 minutes, Varoma, speed 2, MC on.
- Add 70 g frozen peas into the simmering basket. Cook for 2 minutes, Varoma, speed 2, MC on.
- Add 30 g spinach into the simmering basket. Cook for 1 minute, Varoma, speed 2, MC on. Remove the simmering basket. Reserve the liquid in a jug.
- Put the apple, broccoli, peas, spinach and 3 tbs water into the mixing bowl. Chop for 1 minute, speed 7, MC on, making sure to increase the speed gradually to avoid the fruit and vegetables immediately sticking to the sides of the mixing bowl (Note 2).
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
[1] Spinach, 2023, Solid Starts Inc.
[2] Homemade baby food, 2023, Raising Children Network Australia.
One Response
Great comparison – natural’s so much better than commercially produced. You can taste the difference!