Roasted Butternut Squash & Sweet Red Pepper Wedges
Allergen lists cover the priority allergens in the recipe as written. Always check your own ingredient labels, and introduce each new allergen on its own first.
Ingredients
- 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) butternut squash, peeled and deseeded
- 1 large red bell pepper, deseeded
- 1 1/2 tbsp (22 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp sweet smoked paprika, no salt added
- 1 small pinch ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) water or unsalted vegetable cooking water, to loosen (optional)
Method
- 1. Heat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / 400°F and line a baking tray with parchment.
- 2. Cut the squash into wedges roughly 1.5 cm (5/8 in) thick — thick wedges stay moist and squashable, while thin chips dry out and turn hard and brittle.
- 3. Cut the red pepper into wide flat panels rather than thin strips; they will shrink considerably as they roast.
- 4. Toss everything with the olive oil, paprika and cinnamon. Spread in a single layer so the vegetables roast rather than steam.
- 5. Roast the squash for 20 minutes, add the pepper panels, and roast a further 10-12 minutes until the squash gives no resistance and the pepper is completely limp.
- 6. Peel the loose blistered skin off the pepper panels once cool enough to handle — tough pepper skin can separate in the mouth and is hard for a baby to manage.
- 7. Squash-test a wedge between thumb and forefinger; it must flatten with light pressure. Discard any dark, leathery or crisped edges and serve just warm, loosened with a little plain water if the squash seems dry. Fruit juice is not used here and is not recommended as a drink or a thinner under 12 months.
- 8. No salt is needed: roasting concentrates the squash's own sweetness and brings out plenty of flavour on its own.
How to serve by age
6–8 months
Offer one thick wedge at a time, about 9 cm (3 1/2 in) long and 1.5-2 cm thick — long enough that a good third of it stands proud of a closed fist for the palmar (whole-hand) grasp. Roasted squash is slippery, so leave a strip of firmer edge for baby to hold.
9–12 months
Cut the roasted squash and peeled pepper into 1 cm (1/2 in) cubes, about the size of a pea, and place 4-6 at a time on the tray to encourage the pincer grasp — the neat thumb-and-forefinger pick-up that develops around 9 months.
Paediatric note
Deep-orange squash is one of the richest infant sources of provitamin A carotenoids, which support vision and immune function, and roasting caramelises its natural sugars so no sweetener is ever needed. Bitter or unfamiliar vegetables often need 8-15 separate tastings before a baby accepts them, so keep re-offering a rejected vegetable rather than dropping it.
Source guidance: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/weaning-and-feeding/
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