Chicken and Vegetable Soup

With fall fast approaching, it's the perfect time to make your young thing some soup to keep him or her warm. This recipe is courtesy of JooHee Muromcew, author of The Baby Bistro Cookbook.

Ingredients

1 can (14 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
1 cup chopped leftover boneless chicken
1 carrot, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
1/2 cup green beans, cut into 1/2'' pieces
1/4 cup tiny pasta (stars, alphabet, or orzo)

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the broth and water to a boil over high heat.

2. Add the chicken, carrot, celery, green beans, and pasta.

3. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes to both cook the pasta and soften the vegetables.

4. Serve as is to older toddlers, or puree for the beginner eaters or young toddlers.

Makes about 4 cups. Freeze in ice cube trays, and you'll have soup for weeks.

Puree Tip:

I first gave this soup to Isabella when she was about 10 months, and served it with the consistency shown in the picture, which results after about 10 seconds in the food processor. When I serve it to her now, I pulse it about 5 times for a chunkier texture. You could certainly puree it much finer than I did and give it to a beginning eater as well.

Serving Tip:

The more you puree this soup, the more liquid its texture will be. Mix in a teaspoon or two of baby cereal or oatmeal before serving to give the soup a thicker texture, which will make it easier to feed to your baby.