Easy Pastina Pasta For Babies With Sweet Potatoes 

My latest recipe is Pastina pasta for babies.

This Pastina pasta recipe is so simple to make and requires only 3 ingredients; Pastina, sweet potatoes, and chicken broth. 

I added sweet potatoes to give it a sweet flavor.

The sweet potatoes also provide enough texture to allow a baby to scoop it with their hands.

My baby and toddler absolutely loved this Pastina pasta. My husband and I ate it too. It made for a great side dish for our dinner.

Why I Love Pastina Pasta for Babies 

I recently discovered Pastina for babies when I was looking for ways to feed pasta for baby-led weaning.

Since he was brand new to baby-led weaning, I didn’t want to start with spaghetti and other kinds of pasta. 

I wanted something simple and uncomplicated to eat. 

If your baby is experienced with baby-led weaning, You can make this Pastina pasta into a “rice ball” by deep frying it. 

You can also fry it into a patty for them. I’ve done both in the past and they were a hit.

Important Recipe Notes

I added sweet potatoes for texture 

Pastina is a very small pasta so it’s very difficult for babies to scoop with their hands. 

I added sweet potatoes to increase the texture and make it easier to scoop. 

The sweet potatoes also provide a sweet taste, encouraging babies to keep eating. In addition, they’re healthy vegetables that carry a lot of nutrients.

I used chicken broth for this pastina for babies 

To increase the savory flavor of this Pastina pasta for babies, I used chicken broth instead of water to cook it.

If you don’t have chicken broth you can use ½ a bouillon cube as a substitute.

Why Pasta Is Good for Babies and Toddlers

Pasta is great for babies because it gives them an opportunity to practice eating non-finger foods. 

Like other kinds of pasta, Pastina is a meal that babies can enjoy on the table with other family members.

You won’t have to worry about making a separate “kids’ meal”. This will help save you time and money.

Besides the cost-saving aspect of pasta for babies, they’re also loaded with vitamins and minerals.

Pasta contains carbohydrates and other fortified nutrients such as iron and magnesium. 

Whole wheat pasta has the added benefit of containing fiber which aids in digestion (source)

What to serve with Pastina for babies

Serve pastina pasta with chicken for babies 

Nothing goes better with pasta than a side of chicken. You can make my baby-led weaning garlic chicken breast bites. 

They’re savory and soft enough for your baby to chew. You can also shred it for younger babies just starting their baby-led weaning journey.

Serve Pastina with meatballs or nuggets

You can also serve Pastina for babies with other proteins like meatballs or nuggets.

Check out this delicious veggie turkey meatball recipe or this baby-friendly turkey nugget recipe. 

Serve Pastina pasta for babies with Fruits

You can also serve Pastina pasta with fruits for your baby. The sweetness of the fruits will go very well with the savory flavor of the pasta.

Serve it with other vegetables

Pastina for babies can be mixed in with other vegetables to make a nice medley. You don’t need to limit yourself to just sweet potatoes. 

How to serve Pastina Pasta To Babies

Pastina for Babies 6 – 9 months old

If your baby is between 6-9 months, then I recommend you serve pastina pasta to them in a bowl. It will help them practice scooping out food with their hands. 

Pastina for babies 10-12 months old

As babies become better at eating in their weaning journey, you can begin to provide more opportunities for self-feeding.

Between the ages of 10-12 months old, Pastina pasta can be served to babies with a spoon. 

This will help them practice hand-to-mouth coordination. A very useful skill as they grow older.

Tips for Picky Eaters

Don’t pressure

Give your baby or toddler a chance to say no. It’s okay if they don’t like what we serve them. Keep trying. 

It takes at least 30 exposures for a baby to begin liking a food, so don’t give up.

Make it into a game

Sometimes I create games around the food I serve to get my kids interested in eating. 

A game we’ve played in the past is called “Here comes the airplane… open the garage”. This encourages them to open their mouth as I bring the food in like an airplane.

Sometimes my kids will try new foods this way.

Ingredient For Pastina Pasta for Babies

Sweet potatoes – Sweet potatoes are used to provide more texture and a sweet flavor. You can substitute this with other vegetables as well.

Chicken broth – Chicken broth is essential in this recipe because it gives it a rich flavor. You can use ½ a bouillon cube if you don’t have chicken broth. 

Pastina pasta – This is the main ingredient. I used it because it cooks quickly and is easy to make in a hurry. You can use other types of pasta for this recipe as well. Just make sure to precook them until half done, then finish cooking with chicken broth.

Cooking Directions For Baby-led Weaning Pastina Pasta

• Pour ½ cup of the chicken broth into a pan, and add the sweet potatoes. Cook until the sweet potato is soft. Use more broth as necessary until the potato is soft.
• Add the Pastina pasta into the same pan and add the rest of the chicken broth to cook it until it is soft 
• When the broth has reduced significantly, add the oil and parsley, and reduce the heat to low. Stir the food together to combine all the ingredients.
• Remove from the heat and serve.

Cook Sweet Potatoes in a pan

Add the Pastina pasta

Cook in chicken broth

Add oil and spices

FAQs About Pastina Pasta For Babies

What age can a baby eat Pastina?

Babies can eat pastina pasta starting at 6 months old. They will be able to scoop pastina with their hands if served in a bowl.

Storage Tips For Pastina Pasta for Babies 

This pastina for babies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge 

Did you make this baby-led weaning recipe? 

Let me know in the comments how it turned out!