Cannellini Bean, Spinach & Meatball Soup

With cannellini bean purée for baby

Pair cannellini beans with chicken meatballs infused with Italian herbs and a good handful of spinach in a soup bowl, and you've got yourself an easy, sumptuous and hearty meal all in one go! This is also a great first meal for a baby, in addition to its creamy texture once blended, cannellini beans are high in fibre and nutrients, particularly vitamin B which supports babies’ brain development.

Prep Time: 12 Mins (+ 12 hours if you are using dried beans) | Cook Time 25 Mins

Serves 8 (Half all ingredients if your cooking for 4)

Ingredients

• 250g Cannellini Beans soaked overnight and cooked as per the packet instructions (usually around 1 hr 40 mins) or 2 cans of cannellini beans drained

• ½ Large red onion sliced into 1/8th’s

• 3 Cloves of garlic minced

• 680g Sausages

• 1 Egg

• 1 tbsp Fresh basil chopped finely

• 1 tbsp Fresh parsley chopped finely

• 1 tsp Oregano

• 25g Pasteurised mozzarella chopped finely

• 1 Medium tomato chopped finely

• 2 Crusts from a loaf a few days old ripped into pieces and turned into breadcrumbs in a chopper

• 750ml Sodium free stock

• 2 Handfuls of fresh spinach (I used frozen, in this case use 3 cubes)

• Crunchy bread rolls

(For adaptations to the recipe see ‘Notes’ below)

Method

1. On a medium heat, add a drop of oil to the skillet, and once hot, fry the onion until it begins to soften. Add the garlic and fry for a minute longer, then remove from the heat and set aside.

2. Whilst the onions cook, prepare baby’s food. Spoon 1-2 tbsp of the cannellini beans into a blender jug, along with 25ml sterilised water and a pinch of cinnamon or cumin (to your liking) and blend on high for a few seconds until a creamy texture is formed. If it's too thick for baby, add another 25ml sterilised water and re-blend, repeating this process until the right consistency is achieved (it should be looser than a paste but not too watery). Allow to cool and serve to baby.

3. Remove the sausage meat from their skins into a large bowl and mash (if the skin is so fine that it's difficult to remove then you can simply leave them on and mash).

4. Add the egg, basil, parsley, oregano, mozzarella, tomato and breadcrumbs and combine well.

5. Keep a small bowl of cool water next to you and mould the mixture into ping-pong sized balls, wetting your hands sparingly as you go (this just helps the mixture not to stick to your hands whilst moulding!).

6. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in the pan you used for the onions and cook the meatballs on medium heat, browning on all sides until just cooked through. Remove and place onto kitchen roll to soak up any excess fat.

7. In a large casserole pan, heat the stock on high until bubbling, then reduce the heat to medium and add the spinach, allowing to wilt for a minute, then add the meatballs and cannellini beans. Allow simmering for a few minutes until all ingredients are heated through. Remove from the heat and serve to adults and children aged 6 months + (see notes below) along with a crunchy roll on the side. Offering additional seasoning to adults if required.

Notes

6 Months +

Babies can eat all of the ingredients in ‘Cannellini Bean, Spinach & Meatball Soup’ from 6 months +, either blended in the blender (spoon 1 meatball and 1 tbsp of the spinach and beans along with 25ml soup broth until the right consistency is achieved), or you could chop and spoon some of the beans, spinach and a few chopped pieces of the meatballs into baby's plate and allow them to discover each flavour individually (which would work with a baby-led weaning approach)

NUTRITIONAL NOTES

By Judith Calvin from www.healthisgoodfood.com

Cannellini beans are an excellent all-rounder when it comes to nutrition. They contain carbohydrates for energy, protein for building and repairing muscles and body tissues and a good source of plant iron which makes haemoglobin transport oxygen around our body. For more information on the different types of iron go to the ‘caramelised onion and sweet potato hot pot recipe’ (https://www.onefamilyonerecipe.com/post/caramelised-onion-and-sweet-potato-hot-pot) They also contain folate to promote red blood cell formation and cell growth and development which is very important for a rapidly growing baby.