Root Vegetable & Chicken Risotto–Toddler Teatimes

I still find I cook different meals for the LO and am trying to incorporate making our meal with hers, but this is still something I struggle to do as we never eat at the same time. To make things easier, cooking up a large batch of something that you can have later and she can have earlier is something I’m trying more and more to do. After I saw how quickly my 20 month old wolfed down a Little Dish risotto, I decided that I could make a big batch of similar, freeze it and, fingers crossed, she’d do the same with a much cheaper version. As it’s quite sloppy, and there’s not much chewing involved, this is now a firm favourite for Frankie and both of us, even if we don’t eat together: Something that I always feel guilty about.

It’s a simple recipe. Chop whichever root vegetables you fancy into small cubes. I used butternut squash and sweet potato. Add a few chopped tomatoes and some tomato puree and fry off. Once they cubes are beginning to soften, add some water and leave to simmer for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make a basic risotto. Use finely chopped onions, risotto rice and homemade or child-friendly chicken stock. I cheated and used half a stock cube with about three times the water, then added bundles of herbs and pepper. Once the rice is soft, stir in the root vegetable mixture, adding grated cheese and tiny pieces of cooked chicken. I often make this on a Monday using the leftover roast trimmings. If you want to freeze portions and the chicken has already been cooked, add this when the risotto has cooled and before freezing.