Once my son turned six months, he started showing signs that he was ready to start solids. He was able to sit up (mostly) by himself, he had good head and neck support, and I couldn’t eat without him looking straight at me!
I decided very early on that I wanted to do baby led weaning because I had researched all of the benefits. More developed motor control, independence, and most importantly it promotes the principles of intuitive eating.
After all, how does shoving food into a child’s mouth signal to them to trust their bodies? How would they show us hunger and fullness cues unless we give them the food to experiment themselves?
In our baby-led weaning journey, Nick and I try our best to feed him modified versions of our meals.
If we’re having apples and peanut butter, we’d make him steamed apples. Soups would be simplified to just chicken broth. Grilled chicken? He would get strips of chicken to suck on too.
But the beauty of chicken meatballs for our Sunday dinners is that they don’t need any modifications!
Whether you are feeding a baby or a pack of older kids, these meatballs are perfect for the whole family to enjoy.
What do I need to make this meatball recipe?
You’ll need to have a good sauce to add to your meatball mixture. The sauce provides moisture to the meat, preventing it from drying out in the oven.
You can always pick up a jar of sauce, but I highly recommend making your own. Not only is it cheaper than purchasing pre-made sauce, but it also freezes well.
I have a recipe for homemade marinara sauce on my blog that I use for these meatballs. There will be plenty you can store into a freezer bag. It makes for a great make-ahead meal!
Will I taste the vegetables?
Part of what makes this a great recipe is that it is loaded with yummy veggies but doesn’t taste like veggies at all!
This recipe is one of my favorite ways to add veggies in a way that is completely transparent. I do not like the phrase “hidden veggies” because I personally think you don’t actually have to trick kids to eat vegetables if you incorporate them daily!
The secret is elevating the simple ingredients through that delicious caramelization process. It adds a depth of flavor that compliments the ground chicken in the best way possible!
What size meatballs are appropriate for baby led weaning?
If this is your first time hearing about baby led weaning, you may be thinking that you need to make mini meatballs to avoid choking.
However, the trick is to do just the opposite. You’ll want to make normal sized balls and leave the meatball in its whole form when you give it to your baby.
Babies actually have less of a chance of choking when they are presented with larger pieces of food!
This means that the larger meatballs are safer to give to baby than the small meatballs. Just make sure you are closely monitoring them as they eat.
It is always a good idea to eat alongside your baby, as it helps to strengthen the bond you have as a family!
Variations
You can choose to use other ground meat for these meatballs instead of ground chicken. For example, if you enjoy pork meatballs, you can swap out the meat pound for pound.
If you enjoy cheese, you can add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese into the meat mixture as well! I personally don’t do this because I didn’t grow up with cheese so I don’t love the strong punch, but my Italian husband loves it. He bathes in Pecorino Romano!
If you want a completely different flavor, you can customize this recipe and make it with an Asian twist I would recommend substituting the marinara sauce with soy sauce, adding green onions and replacing the spices. Instead of basil and oregano, I might sprinkle in some ginger, white pepper, and toasted sesame seeds or sesame oil.
Healthy Baked Chicken Meatballs For Baby Led Weaning
Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2lbs ground chicken
- 1 bulb garlic, minced (you can use a food processor here)
- 1 zucchini, peeled and shredded
- 1-2 carrots, peeled and shredded
- 1 onion, diced
- ½ cup of bread crumbs
- ¾ cup marinara sauce
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp basil
- 1 tsp oregano
- Avocado oil for frying
- Salt and pepper
Instructions:
- Squeeze out any excess water from the shredded vegetables.
- In a pan on medium heat, fry onions, zucchini, and carrots in avocado oil until golden brown (about 10 minutes).
- Add garlic into the vegetable mixture and cook until fragrant (about two minutes).
- Remove from heat and let cool.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large mixing bowl, add ground chicken, the cooled vegetable mixture, breadcrumbs, tomato sauce and spices. Mix until well incorporated. You may have to adjust the amount of sauce and breadcrumbs depending on the size of your vegetables. If the mixture looks too watery, add more breadcrumbs. If the mixture looks too dry, add more sauce. The mixture should have a nice soft texture.
- Shape into balls and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Dab the top of each one with avocado oil.
- Bake meatballs for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and flip the meatballs. Return to the oven and cook for an additional 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool before serving to baby!
- Serve with flat bread or pasta of your choice.
- Store leftovers in a freezer-safe container and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Tip: for those who like to meal prep, I would encourage making a double batch. You can freeze the leftovers, and take out what you need!
Conclusion
Easy recipes are my love language, and if it’s yours too we will get along just fine!
NOW I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
What method did you use when you were starting solid foods?
Is baby led weaning something you would want to try?
Let me know by leaving me a comment down below!
