SALMON AND BROCCOLI PASTA

This recipe is a great one for a mid-week meal on the go. Easy, quick (it can be cooked in under 15mins) and all in one pan so saves on the washing up. I know how important it is to eat fish but I sometimes get stuck in a rut and want something different. This recipe is always a hit as my kids love pasta and I can sneak in veggies and extra nutrients without complaint!

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients

350g farfalle or other pasta

2 small heads of broccoli (approx. 150g)

250g cream cheese zest and juice of 1 large lemon

300g–400g cooked salmon, skinned, boned and flaked salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1 Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil over a high heat.

2 Cook the pasta in the boiling water according to the packet instructions.

3 Cut the broccoli into florets and add to the pasta 2 minutes before the end of the cooking time.

4 Drain the pasta and broccoli and put them to one side, reserving a cup of the pasta water.

5 Place the cream cheese and lemon zest and juice in the same large pan and gently heat through.

6 Add the pasta, broccoli and salmon and coat with the cream sauce. If necessary, add some of the reserved pasta water to make a looser sauce.

7 Remove a portion for baby then season with salt (for toddlers and adults) and pepper.

8 Tip: If your children don’t like seeing the broccoli, add it to the pasta water 5 minutes before the pasta is cooked so that when you stir the sauce in, the broccoli disintegrates and is less visible.

@michela.chiappa

TheChiappaSisters thechiappas.com

Baby at the Table: A 3-Step Guide to Weaning the Italian Way (Michael Joseph) £16.99. Sherborne Times reader offer price of £14.99 from Winstone’s Books

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