First baby soups: expanding the menu

The first soups, when the baby is not yet biting, are blended. Simply boil some vegetables and blend them. The first soup can be a broccoli cream, or carrot and potato. Over time, the soup should contain small, soft pieces of vegetables or meat so that the child can practice chewing and biting. Remember to adjust the consistency of the soup to the child's abilities.

Carrot (after 6 months)

Ingredients:

• Carrot
• Potato
• A drop of olive oil

Preparation:
Wash the vegetables, peel them, and cut them into cubes. Put them in a small amount of water and boil them. Add olive oil and blend. If the soup is too thick, you can add water. For an older baby who can handle chewing, you can set aside some of the vegetables before blending and add them to the cream after blending.

Pumpkin (after 6 months)

Ingredients:

• 200 g pumpkin
• 2 potatoes
• Vegetable broth
• Olive oil / a teaspoon of butter
• Rice groats for thickening
  

Preparation:
Wash the pumpkin, peel it, remove the fibers and seeds. Wash the potatoes, peel them. Cut the vegetables into cubes. Put them in the broth and cook until the vegetables soften. Pour in the groats, bring to a boil. Add the olive oil. Blend. If the soup is too thick, you can add a little water.

Broccoli with egg yolk (after 6 months)

Ingredients:

• A few broccoli florets
• Carrot
• Potato
• Egg yolk
• Cornmeal or rice groats
• Olive oil

Preparation:
Wash the potatoes and carrots, peel them, cut them into pieces, and put them in boiling water (about one and a half glasses). After 10 minutes, add the washed broccoli pieces and cook for another 10 minutes. Finally, add the semolina and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the hard-boiled egg yolk and olive oil, and blend everything. You can add water if the soup is too thick.

Vegetable soup with fish (after 6 months)

Ingredients:

• A piece of fish (e.g., cod)
• Half a carrot
• A few cauliflower or broccoli florets
• Potato
• Dill
• A little olive oil

Preparation:
Wash and peel the potatoes and carrots. Cut them into cubes, put them in boiling water, and cook for 10 minutes. Add the broccoli/cauliflower and cook for another 10 minutes. It is best to steam the fish separately, divide it into pieces, and add it to the soup. Blend everything, add olive oil, and bring to a boil. Finally, sprinkle with dill.

Semolina with meat (after 6 months)

Ingredients:

• A piece of meat (rabbit, turkey, or chicken)
• Mirepoix (aromatic vegetable mixture)
• Potato
• Peas
• Rice flakes or barley groats
• Salt

Preparation:
Boil the meat. Finely chop the mirepoix and add it to the meat with the peas. When the vegetables are cooked, add the potatoes and rice flakes. Children under one year old should not eat meat broths, so you can cook the meat separately for them or omit it. If we subtract the peas from the recipe and replace the flakes with barley, we get a nourishing and warming semolina.

Lentil soup (after 8 months)

Ingredients:

• Mirepoix (aromatic vegetable mixture)
• Potatoes
• Red lentils
• Tomato or tomato sauce
• Salt, aromatic herbs to taste
• Olive oil
  

Preparation:
Wash the vegetables (mirepoix), peel them, finely chop them, and boil them. When the vegetables soften, add the sliced potatoes and rinsed lentils, and salt to taste. Stew the peeled tomato in olive oil and add it to the soup. For young children, the soup can be blended, adding a teaspoon of yogurt beforehand. Garnish with parsley, basil, or cilantro.