5 pumpkin recipes that your toddler will love

Pumpkin, a delicious and versatile vegetable, belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family. It is a native to North America and is highly popular for consumption as well as decoration around Thanksgiving and Halloween. It is typically referred to as Curcurbita Pepo in US, an orange type winter squash. It is scientifically a fruit as it contains seeds, but is nutritionally more similar to vegetables than fruits. Pumpkin is rich in Vitamin A and other antioxidants and hence should be included in your toddler’s diet on a regular basis.

Below are 5 pumpkin recipes for kids:-

1. Pumpkin recipes for toddlers
   1. Pumpkin oatcakes

      Ingredients

      • 1 cup pumpkin peeled and grated
      • 1/4 cup jaggery
      • 2 tsp ghee
      • 1/2 cup wheat flour
      • 2 tbsp fine semolina
      • 2 tbsp quick roll oats
      • 1 tbsp milk
      • 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
      • 1 small pinch of salt
      • 1/2 tsp baking powder
      • 2 pinch of soda bi-carb
      • 4 tbsp almond flex

      Method

      • Peel, grate the pumpkin, and remove its seeds and pulp.
      • Combine grated pumpkin with 2 tsp ghee in a microwave.
      • Cook and then add jaggery, and mix together.
      • Add wheat flour, semolina, oats, milk, nutmeg, salt, soda, baking powder to the pumpkin mixture and combine well.
      • Rest the mixture for 10 minutes, before baking.
      • Take a microwave-proof bowl, grease it with ghee and pour the mixture into it.
      • Bake it for 20 minutes.
      • Garnish with almond flex and serve warm pieces.
   2. Pumpkin and potato vegetable

      Ingredients

      • 1 medium-sized pumpkin
      • 1 small potato, onion
      • 2 cloves garlic
      • 1 tbsp butter
      • Pinch of salt, turmeric and pepper

      Method

      • Peel and mince garlic and chop onions.
      • In a large pan, sauté garlic and onion with a little butter until fragrant but not brown.
      • Add potato and sauté a bit, and then add pumpkin.
      • Cook with little water on a low flame, and add salt, pepper and turmeric.
      • Cook for 10-15 minutes on a low flame and garnish with coriander leaves.
      • Serve hot with chapatti or paratha.
   3. Hing roasted pumpkin wedges

      Ingredients

      • 1 large pumpkin
      • 1 tsp butter
      • 1 teaspoon brown salt, pepper
      • 2 tbsp hung curd
      • 2 garlic cloves
      • A pinch of hing
      • 2 garlic cloves
      • Cardamom powder, cinnamon powder
      • Black salt
      • 4-5 basil leaves

      Method

      • Cut the pumpkin in long wedges. Peel them.
      • Add all the remaining ingredients to the hung curd and make a batter to marinade the wedges.
      • Roast the coated wedges and serve them with green chutney or sauce.
2. Pumpkin recipes for babies (or toddlers)
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   2. Pumpkin halwa

      Ingredients

      • 2 cups of yellow pumpkin chopped/pulp.
      • 1/4 cup jaggery/brown sugar and palm sugar
      • 3 to 4 tbsp homemade ghee
      • 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
      • Water- ¾ cup
      • Cashews - 6
      • Raisins- 1 tsp

      Method

      • Peel, grate the pumpkin, and remove its seeds to make pulp.
      • Add ghee to a pressure cooker and add pumpkin pulp or chopped pumpkin cubes.
      • Sauté this on a low flame until water oozes out from the pumpkin. It will take around 5-7 minutes.
      • Pressure-cook it till you hear 2-3 whistles and open the cooker once the pressure releases.
      • In the meantime, heat a pan with 1 tbsp of ghee, roasted cashews, and raisins, till you get a golden brown colour.
      • Remove the mixture once done and add to the mashed pressure-cooked pumpkin pieces or chunks. Then cook the combination with the required amount of jaggery/brown sugar and powdered cardamom.
      • After adding sugar or jaggery, it will attain a thick consistency.
      • Stir continuously and add a little ghee slowly, until the halwa is ready and doesn’t stick to the pan. Add fried cashews and raisins for garnishing.
      • Serve hot.

      Pumpkin soup

      Ingredients

      • 1 large pumpkin
      • 2 garlic cloves
      • 1 onion
      • 1 tbsp butter
      • 1 litre vegetable stock
      • Pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper

      Method

      • Peel and mince garlic and dice onion.
      • In a large pot, sauté the garlic and onion with a little butter.
      • Add the stock and cook on a medium flame.
      • Wash and peel the pumpkin, and then remove seeds and mash it.
      • Add the mashed pumpkin to the pot and cook it. Stir occasionally until a thick consistency is achieved.
      • Serve hot with butter on it.

Conclusion

A pumpkin is a powerhouse of antioxidants, minerals and Vitamin A, and C. It is low in calories, which makes the immune system healthy without adding to your child’s weight. It is important to introduce pumpkin to babies and kids at a very initial stage for better nutrition and taste development.