How to Make Asparagus For Toddlers: Have You Tried Pudding?
There’s a good reason why you rarely see asparagus recipes on toddler/children recipe sites: it’s really hard to get with and/or around that texture. Or, shall I say textures: asparagus can be too crisp and woodsy, too stringy, and too mushy and slimy. It can be all of the things in a single spear, really–and small children want none of it.
The solution is obvious: keep the flavor; change the form. A custard, an egg-based pudding, is just the thing for that, allowing asparagus’ nutty flavor to shine–in a vessel with the right textures for small children. Sure, it’ll require a few more steps to make than, say, steaming or roasting the asparagus spears; consider the extra work, though, as extra assurance that your child will actually eat it.
(Pro tip: pay special attention to the ‘Serve’ section to determine how best to plate the dish.)
- 1 bunch Asparagus
- 2 Eggs
- 1/3 cup Yogurt (soft cheeses like ricotta, cream cheese, mascarpone, et al. will also work)
- 1/8 cup All-Purpose Flour
- grated Parmesan
- ground Basil
- Breadcrumbs (optional but recommended)
- Trim the bottom portion of the asparagus spears, then cut off the tips. Heat a pot of salted water on High; once boiling, toss in the asparagus stalks and cook for five minutes, then add in the tips of the asparagus and cook for another three minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and allow to cool.
- Preheat your oven to 350. Melt a small bit of butter into 4-6 ramekins or oven-safe bowls, coating the bottoms and sides of the cooking vessel; sprinkle the butter-coated sides with breadcrumbs (optional but provides a nice textural contrast).
- Place in blender in the following order: the eggs, yogurt/cheese, and asparagus; blend until smooth. Add in flour, as much cheese and basil as you want, and a pinch each of salt and pepper; blend again until smooth.
- Pour asparagus batter into your ramekins/bowls. Place the bowls into a deep and flat roasting pan–like what you’d use to roast a pork shoulder or chicken–and pour in 2 cups of hot water onto the base. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.
Heat until the batter is fully set, 25-28 minutes.
Allow bowls to cool for 3-5 minutes before preparing to serve (see below).
As is, the custard will come out of the bowl as, well, a green blob: presentation may be key to getting your child to try it. The easiest option, as the recipe photo suggests, is to do nothing: serve it straight out of the bowl/ramekin you cooked it in–just wait until the outside is cool to the touch. You can also make shapes out of the custard, as we did in the additional photo on this page, by cooling it for several minutes before pressing cutouts into it. And, if you're feeling especially ambitious and/or your child is especially forgiving, you could try the Italian way: run a knife around the bowl to separate the custard from the sides, then turn your bowl upside down and let the custard plop down on the plate.
You could sub any number of vegetables in for asparagus here, but remember that the purpose of the custard form is to distill the flavor of the vegetable and not the form. Thus, something like red pepper or beets, with their naturally sweet profile, are likely to be a better choice than, say, jicama or green beans.
Brad (the Dad) is the founder and Chief Recipe Officer of New Dad's Kitchen. His own cooking/feeding journey started humbly during his son's infancy, preparing and managing his son's bottle intake in order to support his wife; it has since blossomed into a full-on passion to feed his child and family delicious and healthy meals that can satisfy both a toddler and his very tired parents.
