RECIPE Napoli Pasta with Celery Leaf Pesto
Nut-free and Vegetarian Recipe for childcare
A very Nutritious recipe for early learning centres
What makes this recipe particularly nutritious is the variety of ingredients it contains. The homemade Napoli sauce includes carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, red lentils and cannellini beans, while the pesto combines celery leaves, baby spinach and pumpkin seeds.
Together, these ingredients create a meal that is rich in vegetables, fibre and plant-based protein. While the pasta contributes serves from the grain food group, providing the energy children need for learning, play and physical activity throughout the day.
Reduce Food Waste
Many ingredients that are commonly discarded can be incorporated into meals, helping centres reduce waste and maximise food budgets. This recipe is a great example. Celery leaves which are often overlooked, despite being nutritious and full of flavour.
Using ingredients more efficiently can help centres create cost-effective meals while supporting environmentally conscious practices. Small changes across a menu can add up to meaningful reductions in food waste over time.
Nut-free pesto recipe
Traditional pesto recipes often contain pine nuts or other nuts making them unsuitable for many childcare settings who have children with allergies. In this recipe, we use pumpkin seeds instead providing a delicious nut-free alternative. Pumpkins seeds still deliver the important nutrients such as healthy fats, protein, iron, zinc and magnesium and taste amazing.
Encouraging Children to Explore New Foods
Children are naturally cautious around unfamiliar foods, and this can sometimes be more noticeable when centres introduce alternative ingredients or modified recipes. A bright green pesto might not be every child's cup of tea at first, and that's okay! While it can be tempting to stop offering foods that are initially rejected, repeated exposure is one of the most effective ways to help children become comfortable with new flavours and textures.
Educators play an important role in supporting this process.
Offering foods regularly without pressure, modelling positive eating behaviours and encouraging children to explore foods using their senses can help build familiarity over time. Why not invite children to get curious about the pesto? They can look at its vibrant green colour, smell its fresh aroma or even give it a little poke with their fork.
Creating positive, relaxed mealtime experiences and celebrating food exploration, rather than focusing on how much is eaten, can also help children develop confidence around new foods. Learning to enjoy different foods is a gradual process. Patience, consistency, and positive experiences can make a lasting difference.
Napoli Pasta with Celery Leaf Pesto Recipe
Pasta shells tossed in a sea of rich tomato sauce with hidden gems of vegetables, finished with a drizzle of herbaceous celery leaf pesto. The pasta is packed with nutrients, such as Vitamin C, from a variety of vegetables including broccoli, spinach and celery - which is excellent to boost the immune system.
Serves 30 children
Ingredients
1.8kg | Shell Pasta, dry |
150mL | Olive Oil |
500g | Brown Onion, diced |
8 cloves | Garlic, minced |
6kg | Crushed Tomatoes |
250g | Tomato Paste |
1kg | Red Lentils, drained and rinsed |
1.5kg | Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed |
500g | Carrots, finely grated |
500g | Cauliflower, finely chopped or riced |
500g | Broccoli, finely chopped |
3 tbsp | Dried Mixed Herbs |
250g | Celery Leaves |
400g | Baby Spinach Leaves |
200g | Parmesan Cheese, grated |
150g | Pumpkin Seeds |
100mL | Lemon Juice |
400mL | Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for pesto) |
ALLERGENS: Wheat, Gluten, Dairy.
May contain egg in pasta.
Method
Cook pasta according to packet instructions.
Heat olive oil in a large pot and sauté onion and garlic until softened.
Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, lentils, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli and mixed herbs. Simmer for 25–30 minutes until lentils and vegetables are soft.
Blend cannellini beans until smooth and stir into the sauce. Blend part of the sauce if desired for a smoother texture.
Combine cooked pasta with the homemade Napoli sauce.
For the pesto, blend celery leaves, baby spinach, garlic, parmesan, pumpkin seeds and lemon juice until finely chopped.
With the processor running, slowly add extra virgin olive oil until a smooth pesto forms.
Serve pasta topped or tossed with celery leaf and spinach pesto.
Note: If the sauce becomes too thick, add extra water. If the sauce is too watery, add extra tomato paste or puree cannellini beans to thicken.
Nutrition Note: To increase fibre content, include the skin of the carrots and broccoli stems and it's recommened to choose wholemeal pasta too.
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