A Nutritious Soup Packed with Veggies
A nutritious vegetable soup for baby is a recipe that every family should consider preparing and stocking in their freezer. It comes in handy on a busy day when you can defrost a packet of soup and have something healthy on the table for baby in minutes. We all know how busy dinner time can be with little ones being especially fussy during the beginning of witching hour and some may refuse to play independently while you cook. Having something that you can prepare in minutes, even one-handed, can really help take the edge off of an already hectic day.
Besides being super convenient as a freezable meal, it is also very nutritious, containing vegetables in several different colors. Making soup from scratch allows you to add in the best organic ingredients for baby, without using preservatives, salt or artificial flavors. All the flavors from the different vegetables along with mouth-watering garnishes like lemon or yogurt will please baby while the knowledge of baby eating such a healthy meal will please mom and dad.
For a clear soup featuring melty soft veggies, try Soft Vegetable Soup for Baby with Wild Rice.
Ingredients & Tools for Veggy Soup
- Onion
- 1 Clove of garlic
- 1 Tsp. olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 Ear of Corn
- 1 Large Butternut Squash: If you have a pot big enough, you can boil the squash whole after removing the seeds.
- 1 Red Sweet Bell Pepper: Use red or orange ones for a sweeter taste.
- 3 Tomatoes
- 4 Carrots
- 4 Stalks of Celery
- 10 Cups of water or unsalted homemade chicken broth: To limit sodium in baby’s diet, use unsalted homemade chicken broth. If you don’t have an unsalted chicken broth, just use water.
- 1 Bay leaf
- Optional: lemon juice, yogurt or sour cream
- Big soup pot
- Food processor
- Ziplock bags: for freezing soup. I use the medium size ones which can easily hold 3 cups of soup.
How to Cook Vegetable Soup for Busy Parents
It’s not always easy to find time to prepare meals in advance for baby so let’s keep the process easy and simple. First, bring a pot of water or homemade chicken broth (unsalted) filled with 10 cups of water to a boil. How much water you need will depend on the consistency desired for baby but a good rule of thumb amount would be to have enough water to cover 2/3 of the vegetables.
Since this soup will be pureed, the veggies can be roughly diced or halved. Raw squash can be time-consuming to cube so it can be quartered instead for this recipe. I even boil the seeded squash whole and then break it up once it gets soft from boiling.
Pan fry the garlic and onion with oil until onion becomes translucent.
Once water comes to a boil, add bay leaf and all the vegetables, except the pepper. Turn down the heat to medium low and simmer until squash becomes soft, about 20 minutes. Poke it with a fork, if it can be inserted readily, it’s ready.
In the last 2 minutes of cooking, add pepper. Once squash is soft, take pot off stove, let cool. Remove Bay Leaf and discard.
Remove corn from cob, discard cob. Puree it along with the rest of the vegetables in a food processor.
Mix the liquid back into the puree until desired consistency is reached. Optional when serving: stir in a bit of lemon juice, yogurt or sour cream to taste. Portion out and freeze according to instructions in this post.
How to Serve Vegetable Soup to Baby
When serving vegetable soup to baby, you can add a dash of lemon juice, a small dollop of yogurt or sour cream to brighten up the flavors. For older toddlers familiar with eating solids, cooked lentils or small pasta shells can be added to make a hearty meal. Alternatively, toast topped with melted cheese or turkey vegetable meatballs can be served on the side.
Can Vegetable Squash Soup Be Frozen?
Yes, this vegetable squash soup can definitely be frozen for future use. That’s one of the great things with being able to make a big batch of this vegetable soup for baby. After pureeing and mixing the liquid back into the mixture, portion out soup into small freezer Ziploc bags. Let out the excess air while allowing a small pocket of air in the bag for expansion. The soup can be kept in the freezer for 3 months.
When serving, take out and place in fridge to defrost the night before. Once defrosted, transfer it to a pot and cook on medium heat until thoroughly heated through. To quickly defrost, run it under cold water to loosen the soup from the bag. As soon as it can be released from the bag, place soup in a small sauce pan to re-heat on medium-low heat, or place in heat-proof bowl and microwave. Enjoy!
Until next time.
XOXO,
Mimi
Butternut Squash Soup for Baby with Vegetables
An easy and nutritious vegetable soup for baby that can be frozen for meal planning. Add lentils or pasta shells for older toddlers to make a complete meal.
Ingredients
- 10 Cups of water* (or unsalted homemade chicken broth)
- Onion, halved
- 1 Clove of garlic, crushed
- 1 Tsp. olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 Ear of Corn
- 1 Large Butternut Squash, quartered and seeded
- 3 Tomatoes, halved
- 4 Carrots, roughly diced
- 4 Stalks of Celery, roughly diced
- 1 Red Sweet Bell Pepper, halved
- 1 Bay leaf
- Optional: lemon juice, yogurt or sour cream
Instructions
- Bring a pot filled with 10 cups of broth (or water) to a boil.
- Pan fry the onion and garlic with oil until translucent.
- Once water comes to a boil, add bay leaf and all the vegetables, except the pepper.
- Turn down the heat to medium-low and simmer until squash becomes soft, about 20 minutes.
- In the last 2 minutes of cooking, add pepper. Once squash is soft, take pot off stove, let cool.
- Remove Bay Leaf and discard.
- Remove corn from cob, discard cob. Puree it along with the rest of the vegetables in a food processor.
- Mix the liquid back into the puree until desired consistency is reached.
- Optional when serving: stir in a bit of lemon juice, yogurt or sour cream to taste.
Notes
1. Water quantity will depend on the size of vegetables used and desired consistency for baby.
2. Refer to post on how to freeze soup for serving later.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 45Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 48mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 1g
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