Broccoli Recipes For 1 Year Old

This Easy Garlic Broccoli Pasta is the perfect family dinner! Using one-pot, 5-ingredients and made in less than 20 minutes, what’s not to love? Plus, the entire family loves this healthy and easy dinner – from baby to adults!

A basic pasta dish that is kicked up at least ten thousand notches with a cheesy and garlicky sauce that actually blew my daughter’s mind🤯.

She told all of us, in a loud and somewhat bossy voice, “this pasta is AMAZZZZZING.. soooo much better than cheesy noodles (what we call mac and cheese)”!

Best Broccoli For Baby Led Weaning

This Garlic Broccoli Pasta comes together in one-pot in less than 20 minutes. I tossed some fresh broccoli into ours because I had a bag that needed to be used up, but you can also use frozen broccoli if that is all you have on hand 🥦. Or really any other veggie you have on hand would work – chopped asparagus, green beans, peas, corn or cauliflower. But there is something about the broccoli covered with the cheesy garlic sauce that my kids can’t get enough of!

Baby: I separated the pasta and broccoli and then added no-sugar-added applesauce (could also use an apple puree or warmed apple slices with a pinch of cinnamon) to this dish. I only had applesauce on-hand to show this. You can serve the applesauce with a big self-feeding baby spoon for baby to try to eat by themselves or pre-load a baby spoon and hand it to baby. Depending on the age of baby, you can serve the pasta with the butter/garlic/parm sauce or serve plain without the sauce.

Toddler: I served this pasta and broccoli along with a side of applesauce and dried fruit. You can also separate the broccoli and pasta into different sections (like in the baby-led weaning picture) if they won’t eat them together.

Lemony Baby Broccoli Recipe

Picky Eater: You can serve this meal to a picky eater by separating out the broccoli and pasta. The light garlic parmesan sauce on the pasta is usually a big hit with picky eaters. I would serve the applesauce alongside the pasta and broccoli because it is a safe food and will help them get over the green food on their plate. For my family, I would tell them they can have more of the safe food (ie the applesauce) but only after eating some pasta and broccoli. Those are just the rules in my house. You do you!

Kid: serve the pasta with a small side salad and applesauce. If your kid isn’t into salads yet, serve the salad deconstructed with each ingredient that would go on a salad, including the lettuce, but in small piles on their plate. This helps them see what is actually going to be on a salad in a neat system. I always let my kids pour their own dressing onto their salads, which is usually either a homemade balsamic or ranch dressing.

Adult: I love this pasta with a big pinch of red pepper flakes and either a big side salad or extra steamed veggies.

How To Cook Broccoli

DID YOU MAKE THIS GARLIC BROCCOLI PASTA RECIPE? I’D LOVE TO KNOW HOW IT TURNED OUT!LEAVE A COMMENT AND A ⭐️ RATING BELOW👇

This Easy Garlic Broccoli Pasta is the perfect family dinner! Using one-pot, 5-ingredients and made in less than 20 minutes, what's not to love?

Broccoli: you can use either fresh or frozen broccoli. If using frozen broccoli, make sure to cook for an addional 1 minute.

Broccoli Stir Fry With Ginger And Sesame

Serving: 1 cup , Calories: 153 kcal , Carbohydrates: 23 g , Protein: 5.7 g , Fat: 4.4 g , Saturated Fat: 2.6 g , Cholesterol: 10 mg , Sodium: 91 mg , Potassium: 124 mg , Fiber: 1.4 g , Sugar: 1.1 g , Calcium: 63 mg , Iron: 1 mgBroccoli is the perfect first food for babies! There are so many ways to prepare it for baby led weaning. Let me show you how!

This nutritious green vegetable can be offered to babies as soon as they’re ready to start solids, usually around 6 months. It’s important to remember that your baby is unique and that rather than going by the calendar, you need to make sure your baby is DEVELOPMENTALLY ready to start solids.

Broccoli is bursting with vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, K, A, as well as folate and potassium. It's also rich in fiber and various antioxidants.

Healthy Kid Friendly Broccoli & Cauliflower Bites

I highly encourage you to introduce bitter flavored foods, early and often. Babies are born with an innate preference for sweet and salty flavors while disliking bitter and sour flavors.

Research also shows that there is this a narrow “window of opportunity” when babies are most willing to accept new foods. Once your child enters toddlerhood and food neophobia enters the picture, they will only want to eat things that are familiar and safe to them.

Does this mean you should eliminate them completely? Absolutely not! These foods offer so many beneficial nutrients, necessary for your baby’s growth and development.

Kid Approved Broccoli Stir Fry (20 Minutes)

And as mentioned above, early introduction to a wide variety of flavors and textures is key in minimizing picky eating down the road.

If your baby is gassy but doesn't seem to be in discomfort, there's no reason to worry. If your baby is extra gassy after eating certain foods, just don't overload them with those foods.

Here are the two best cooking methods for babies. It's VERY important that the vegetable is cooked until soft enough to be easily smooshed between thumb and forefinger.

How To Cook Broccoli For Baby Led Weaning (with Recipes)

I personally don't recommend roasting for this age as the exterior of the vegetable can get too crispy or even burnt before it softens. You can boil, but I don't recommend it as most of the nutrients will leach into the water.

Place water in a pot, add steamer basket, and bring to a boil. Add broccoli, cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 5-6 minutes. It should be easily pierce-able with a fork.

This method is my personal favorite! If you are new to this cooking method, be prepared to fall in love HARD! So much more flavorful than plain steaming.

Orecchiette With Sausage And Broccoli

How it works: The hot oven and moisture from the veggies create steam (once covered) making them soft, but because they’re roasted, the flavors become more concentrated.

Simply add broccoli to a baking pan, toss with oil and seasoning(s) of choice, COVER, and roast at 425°F for 15-20 minutes! Perfectly soft and flavorful!

Bigger is better and safer at this age so they can easily grab the food with their palm and bring to mouth. So welcome those giant florets ;).

Broccoli And Baby Corn Stir Fry Recipe

As your baby develops their pincer grasp and is able to pick up small pieces of food using their thumb and finger, you can cut into small, bite-sized pieces. I still suggest continuing to offer larger pieces so they can practice taking bites.

This is a good time to introduce utensils. Your baby will most likely just play around or toss it. But it's still great for exposure! Continue role modeling too.

Depending on your child's chewing skills and your comfort level, you can start to offer slightly firmer, but still soft-textured foods. Try shortening the cooking time by several minutes and see how your baby does.

Best Broccoli Recipes & Ideas

Alternatively, you can pulse the raw florets in a food processor (I love using my manual mini food chopper) until finely chopped. Now add to oatmeal, yogurt, toast, etc!

Transfer to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. Since they're very soft in texture, I don't recommend freezing them. If you have a lot of leftovers and want to invite more variety, add them to the recipes I suggest below!

Again, because the florets are so soft, reheating will only make them mushier. Serve straight from the fridge or allow to come to room temperature.

Perfectly Roasted Broccoli & Sweet Potatoes

I cook with this mini tree, as my son likes to call it, A LOT. It's so affordable, nutritious, and versatile. It's actually one vegetable that my firstborn had a really difficult time learning to enjoy so I came up with all kinds of ways to make it fun and appealing for him.

Did you make this recipe? Leave a rating below and let me know how you liked the recipe! Your feedback means so much to me!

Broccoli is the perfect first food for babies! There are so many ways to prepare it for baby led weaning. Let me show you how! 

One Pot Bacon Broccoli Pasta (+video)

Transfer to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. These won't freeze well. If you have a lot of leftovers and want to invite more variety, add them to the recipes I suggest.

Because the florets are so soft, reheating will only make them mushier. Serve straight from the fridge or allow to come to room temperature.

Calories: 50 kcal | Carbohydrates: 4 g | Protein: 2 g | Fat: 4 g | Sodium: 19 mg | Potassium: 179 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 1 g | Vitamin A: 353 IU | Vitamin C: 51 mg | Calcium: 27 mg | Iron: 1 mg

Broccoli Recipes For Babies And Toddlers

Thank you so much for stopping by! I am Min, a Registered Dietitian, a Christ follower,