Trio of vegetables with cheese sauce

From 7 months • Makes 3 portions • Suitable for freezing

Between seven and nine months is a rapid development period for your baby and because your baby is growing so fast he will need plenty of calories. It’s important to make sure that as well as fruits, vegetables, carbohydrate and protein foods, babies get enough fat in their diet, as this is crucial for growth and development. Babies and young children need proportionately more fat in their diet than adults. Recipes like vegetables in cheese sauce and fruit mixed with Greek yogurt are very good for your baby.

Carrots are an excellent source of beta carotene which bolsters a baby’s immune system and acts as an antioxidant. The darker a carrot is, the more beta carotene it contains, so choose darker, older carrots over baby carrots. Interestingly, carrots are more nutritious when cooked with a little fat, such as a knob of unsalted butter, as the beta carotene they contain is absorbed more easily.

Ingredients

1 large carrot (100g), peeled and chopped
75g cauliflower, cut into florets
40g frozen peas

Cheese sauce
15g Rachel’s Organic unsalted butter
15g flour
150ml Rachel’s Organic whole milk
30g gruyere cheese, grated
2tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
2tbsp mascarpone

Method

Put the carrot into a steamer and cook for 10 minutes. Add the cauliflower and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the peas and continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Melt the butter, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add the milk and then continue to stir over a low heat for 5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Take off the heat, stir in the gruyere and parmesan until melted, then stir in the mascarpone.

Mix the vegetables with the sauce and blitz in a blender.