Easy meals to transition from lumpy to chewy

[flisspot]

Hi! Just as it reads really... we've been feeding my DD essentially thick purées alongside the likes of sandwiches and well cooked veg, but as she's 9.5mo I'd like to start her on more normal food. She's had a lot of the Ella's kitchen pouches up to now and will so far eat anything. Anyone got any great ideas/recipes to share?

Broccoli or cauliflower cheese is a good'n. You can vary how well you cook the vegetables and blend/mash/fork through a bit/keep whole as suits. You can also add cheese and breadcrumbs to the top and bake for a crunchy topping, or add pasta, so there's lots of textural possibilities!

As for a recipe, for a big baking dish I wouldn't normally use two heads of broccoli/cauliflower/a mix which I boil for a few mins till it's slightly underdone. Make the sauce with 2tbsp each butter and flour: melt the butter and then stir the flour in and cook it out for a few mins until it smells toasty. Then add milk a good glug at a time and stir furiously as it comes back to a simmer so it stays nice and smooth. I normally actually use a whisk at this point. Keep adding milk a bit at a time until the texture is right. Take off the heat and stir in a couple of good handfuls of grated cheese, stir until it melts and pour over the veg. Sorry if that's a bit simple! I wasn't sure how much walking through you needed.

Have you tried masking up cottage pie with a bit of gray or giving her fish pie?