Annabel Karmel's Tasty Recipes

Pasta stars with carrot and tomato

Interestingly, carrots are more nutritious when cooked with a little fat, such as a knob of butter, as the betacarotene they contain is absorbed more readily. The same is true of tomatoes. They are rich in lycopene a powerful antioxidant which is better absorbed by our bodies when tomatoes are cooked in a little oil or butter.

125g carrots, peeled and sliced
25g butter
3 medium tomatoes, skinned, de-seeded and quartered
50g grated Cheddar cheese
2 tbsp Annabel Karmel pasta stars (from Boots)

Steam the carrots for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender. Warm the butter in a separate pan. Add the tomatoes and saute until mushy. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese until melted.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling water according to the instructions on the packet, then drain.

Puree the cooked carrots with the electric hand blender together with three tablespoons of the liquid from the bottom of the steamer. Blend together with the tomato and cheese mixture and stir in the pasta stars.

Makes 4 portions

Recipe from Annabel Karmel's Feeding Your Baby and Toddler, published by Dorling Kindersley. For more on nutrition and feeding your baby and toddler visit www.annabelkarmel.com