Sardine Spaghetti

Feeds: 2 adults and 1-2 children

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Prep time: 5 minutes

Allergens: Fish, gluten, dairy

Easily doubled if you want left overs for lunch, extra people or the freezer.

Ingredients 

• 1 tin of sardines in oil with no added salt, add 2 tins if you want the sauce to feed more people or you want to really ramp up the fish content.

• As much fresh garlic as you like, I use a lot, like 2 tablespoons worth once it's chopped up. 

• 1 300ml can of crushed tomatoes, or a jar of plain passata.

• 1 onion 

• 2 cups of finely chopped kale (I like Tuscan kale but it works with whatever green leaf you want, spinach or whatever, the point is that you have a bulk of green leaf in it that will cook down.) 

• 1 cups of quartered button mushrooms

• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter 

• 1 tablespoon olive oil 

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

• 1 cups water (works best if you use the water you're boiling the pasta in, the starch makes it silkier)

• 1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley 

• As much pasta as you would normally cook for your family, I like using spaghetti  

  
  

Method

I start by putting the water on to boil for the pasta to cook in because it should roughly take the same time as the sauce (about 10 minutes once it's going).

1. Add onions, mushrooms and kale to a pan with the butter and oil and fry until the onion is soft. Can add a splash of water to get it softening faster. 

2. Your pasta water should be boiling at this point and you can put your pasta in to cook. 

3. Back to the sauce, add the tin tomato, garlic, tomato paste, parsley and squished up sardines (I squish it in the tin with a fork so you're using all the oil and juice too) and mix it all up. Put lid on and let it simmer on fairly high heat. 

4. Stir it every couple of minutes until the pasta is ready then scoop out a cup of the pasta water and put it in the sauce before you drain the pasta. 

5. Stir in the water to the sauce and let it cook another few minutes. 

6. Take out a scoop of sauce and puree it for your baby. Add the puree sauce to whatever pasta you're using for Baby led weaning or on its own for puree feeders. 

Notes:

💪 If you want to supercharge the iron and nutrient level you can do it on lentil based pasta rather than regular pasta.

⭐ Sardines are high iron, omega and calcium and paired with the high vitamin C from the tomatoes and the iron from the green leaf vege makes this an easily absorbed high iron meal. 

⭐ Parsley is also a really great iron pairing veg.

⭐ Perfect for baby led weaning options that will also feed the whole family

⭐ You can vary all the proportions depending on what you have and what flavours you like. 

🛑 Do not add salt. It feels weird at first but the adults can add salt to their own plates if they want it, too much salt for kids under 2 years old can be dangerous on their under-developed kidneys 

⛳ Garlic and onion, lentils and kale can be quite gassy/cause indigestion for people with sensitive guts (as per the low FODMAP diet which is for people with IBS) so it’s important to be aware of that when introducing foods to babies, start with small amounts if they haven't had it before.