We’ve all had those days when everything seems to be happening at the same time. But no matter how busy life gets, your little munchkins need to be fed first, and fast!
This easy-peasy Tomato and Almond Pesto recipe is tot-friendly, and an awesome way to bring some variety to kids who love pasta. Packed with nutrients and brain-boosting omega-3, this is one nutri-licious pesto sauce the entire family would be happy to dig into.
It’s easy to make and super flavourful without requiring a ton of ingredients! A great one to have in your back pocket (rather, freezer) for last-minute meals.
Most kids, those in the We Must Be Tiny HQ included, love the bright flavour of cherry tomatoes. Especially when served with lots of cheese! Whip up a winning combo of almonds and tomatoes, with a burst of sweetness from fresh basil for the easiest dinner recipe for us busy mums.
The chili, of course, adds the perfect amount of heat for us adults. Leave them out when prepping for your tiny humans.
This make-ahead pesto recipe requires no cooking (except your pasta of course). The process simply involves throwing a few ingredients into a food processor and blitzing them into a paste. That’s it!
We told you it was easy (wink!)
And guess what mums, this is only ONE of eight recipes included in WMBT’s soon-to-be-released booklet, "Tiny Mid Week Hacks", where you’ll find many different ways to rock kitchen preps for your family. So if you enjoy this recipe, be sure to check that one out, too!
Pesto is the Best-O!
This Tomato and Almond Pesto is a great pantry favourite your little ones will enjoy on just about anything --- guaranteed! So if you need an alternative to pasta nights, you may also like to consider popping a poddy into the microwave and spreading this delicious goodness onto:
- Rice
- Pizza
- Pita Wraps
- Bread (and top with egg for the best breakfast ever!)
- Crackers
- Chicken
Get Your Kids Involved
Over at the WMBT HQ, we make feeding time fun. And one surefire way to get your tiny humans excited for mealtime is letting them help out.
They can have turns ripping up the basil and pressing the food processor button. Bigger buggers can grate the cheese and pour in the nuts, tomatoes, and oil. They can also help pour the yummy pesto into the poddies for the perfect munchkin-sized portions before popping them into the freezer. And if you’re already thinking about the messy aftermath, this no-cook recipe requires only 1 piece of equipment. So, score!
Makes 9 poddies | Prep 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 80 g (¾ cups) blanched almonds
- 1 clove garlic
- 110 g (1 cup) parmesan cheese, cut into chunks
- 1 fresh chilli, optional*
- 350 g (2 ½ cups) cherry tomatoes
- 2 bunches fresh basil
- 60–125 ml (¼ –½ cup) olive oil
Method
Place the almonds, garlic, parmesan and chilli (if using) into a high-speed food processor and blitz until a small crumb-like consistency.
Add cherry tomatoes, basil, and 60 ml (¼ cup) of olive oil and blitz until a coarse paste.
Add more oil until the desired consistency.
Transfer to We Might Be Tiny Poddies and freeze for up to 3 months.
Simply pop out a pesto Poddie to stir through a bowl of hot pasta.
Ingredient Substitution
This no-cook, one-pot, throw-and-go sauce is easy, delicious, and fresh. It’s also super versatile for all taste preferences! The short list of ingredients is readily available, but in case you’re up for alternatives, here are a few for you:
✔ If you don’t have basil, or your kids are not a fan of this herby superstar, swap it out with fresh parsley or baby spinach.
✔ Make this recipe baby-friendly by swapping out Parmesan with cheddar, which is lower in salt.
✔ Use cashews, pistachios or walnuts, or any nut you may prefer in place of almonds.
✔ You can also use nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan cheese to make this dairy-free.
✔ Use any pasta you prefer, or make it extra fun by choosing shaped noodles your kids will enjoy looking at as well as noshing on. Wagon wheels anyone?
How to Store
The best part of this recipe is that from one batch, you can have meals for days, thanks to our secret kitchen accessory which will surely become your new favourite: our silicone bakeware poddies! These perfectly-portioned poddies make prepping and freezing a scrumptious supply of kid-friendly quick eats super convenient.
Transfer your Tomato and Almond Pesto sauce into your We Might Be Tiny Freeze & Bake Poddies® and freeze 9 snack-sized servings for up to 3 months (although your munchkins will love it so much, they won’t last that long!). When you’re ready to enjoy, just pop out a Pesto Poddie and stir through a serving of hot pasta. Voila! Dinner is served faster than you can say “fast food”. And it’s good for you!
And guess what, these silicone bakeware aren’t just cute --- they’re pretty darn efficient too. Microwave, oven, freezer, and dishwasher-safe so it’s easy, peasy all the way to the finish line.
Let’s face it, we LOVE ourselves a no-sweat, fuss-free dinner, but an equally breezy clean-up sounds magical!
So whip out your weekly meal planner, mums, here’s a time-saving, WMBT taste-tested culinary treat your picky eater (and the whole family!) will gobble right up.
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