Minestrone

• 1onionfinely chopped
• 1 mediumcarrot
• 1 stickcelerycelery is a common allergen in the UK, though not on the US top 9 list. If it's new, offer a little soft-cooked celery on its own first
• 1 smallzucchini (courgette)
• 1 clovegarlicfinely minced, optional
• 1 can (400 g / 14 oz)chopped tomatoesno salt added
• 1 can (400 g / 15 oz)cannellini or other white beansno salt added, drained and rinsed
• 75 g (¾ cup)small dried wheat pasta shapessuch as ditalini or small macaroni. Egg pasta also contains egg, so choose plain durum wheat pasta
• 1 litre (4 cups)wateruse water, not ready-made stock, which is usually salty
• ½ tspdried oregano or basiloptional, with no added salt
• 1 tbspolive oil

Steps

1. 1Wash your hands. Rinse and peel the onion, then chop it finely. Scrub the carrot under running water, peel it and dice it small. Rinse the celery, peel off the strings with a vegetable peeler and chop it finely. Rinse the zucchini and dice it small.
2. 2Tip the beans into a sieve, rinse them under running water and shake off the extra water.
3. 3Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-low heat and cook the onion, carrot and celery gently for about 10 minutes, stirring, until soft. Add the garlic and herbs for the last minute, without letting them brown.
4. 4Add the tomatoes, beans and water. Bring to a boil, then simmer, partly covered, for 15 minutes. Add the zucchini and pasta and simmer for a few minutes longer than the pasta package says, stirring so it doesn't stick, until the pasta and every piece of vegetable squash easily between your fingers. Add a splash of water if it gets too thick. Don't add salt or stock.
5. 5Take your baby's portion out now, before any salt or seasoning goes in, with a slotted spoon and only a little broth so it stays thick. For a young baby, blend or mash it until there are no whole beans left. For older babies, press every bean flat with a fork, and tear large beans such as cannellini in half so each piece is no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
6. 6Spread it in a shallow bowl to cool, stirring. Soup holds heat, so stir it well and check the temperature before serving: it should feel only just warm, never hot.