Roasted Pumpkin Pasta Sauce - A winner with veggie-averse toddlers
Becoming parents brings with it a long list of unexpected job titles and new-found skills.
Sneaking the daily dose of veg into toddler meals is one of those.
If someone had told us that we’ll be best friends with our high-speed food processor to help us turn nutrients into an unrecognisable puree, then we would seriously have laughed at them.
Now we’re here, this toddler pasta sauce has been a real culinary game-changer at We Might Be Tiny HQ.
It tastes incredible, is jam-packed with goodness and the whole family loves it.
The flavour combo in this recipe is tried and tested, but you can easily mix things up if you want more variety within your family’s pasta-loving life.
Got a big bunch to feed or simply want to have some on standby?
This recipe delivers enough nutrient-dense veggie pasta sauce for 6 Snackies. Simply cook a bigger batch to freeze for next time or to feed all your hungry beasts.
We love serving this recipe to toddlers in our Stickie Bowl. It’s rock solid and can cope with even the biggest toddler tantrums. And when you’re looking at the aftermath, simply let your dishwasher take care of business for you.
Makes 6 Snackies I Prep 15 minutes I Bake 45 minutes
Ingredients
- half a brown onion, peeled and sliced into thin wedges
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
- 300 g (2 ½ cups) pumpkin, peeled and cut into chunks
- 450 g (4 cups) cauliflower, cut into small florets
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp ground paprika
- 250 ml (1 cup) vegetable stock
- 30 g (½ cup) nutritional yeast
- 500 g pasta
Method
Preheat oven to 180 C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Spread the onion, garlic, pumpkin, and cauliflower evenly on the baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle over the salt, pepper, cumin, and paprika then stir to ensure all the vegetables are coated.
Roast in oven for 30 - 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Allow to cool slightly then transfer to a high-speed food processor. Add all
remaining ingredients and blitz until you have a smooth sauce.
Cook pasta of choice, drain and rinse then pour over sauce. Sprinkle with a small amount of grated cheese then enjoy.
