Creamy Cornmeal Porridge with Pumpkin
A smooth, thick, yellow porridge, lightly sweetened by the pumpkin, with no added sugar. A good first thicker porridge for a toddler.
- Time
- 40 min
- Serving
- 205 kcal
- Ingredients
- ≈ $0.40
- Protein
- 7 g
Ingredients
- 1 Cornmealpack 700 g ≈ $2.40 25 g
- 2 Milk 2.5%pack 930 ml ≈ $0.88 150 ml
- 3 Pumpkinpack 1 kg ≈ $2.80 50 g
- 4 Butterpack 180 g ≈ $1.57 4 g
Grey rows are pantry staples: salt, oil, spices. They are not counted in the serving price.
Method
Peel the pumpkin3, remove the seeds, and cut into 1 cm cubes.
Add 80 ml water to the pumpkin3 and cook, covered, for 10 minutes until soft, when a piece mashes easily with a fork. Purée together with the cooking water.
Mix the milk2 with 50 ml water and bring to a boil. Rinse the cornmeal1 and pour it in a thin stream into the boiling liquid, stirring constantly.
Cook over the lowest heat for 20–25 minutes, stirring often, until thick and soft. The grains should be completely cooked through, with no hard bits.
Add the pumpkin3 purée and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the butter4, and stir.
Let cool until warm (about 40 °C), test the temperature on the inside of your wrist, and serve.
Tips
- Why it works
- Corn grits are tough, so cook them for 20–25 minutes on the lowest heat. Puree the pumpkin separately so the pieces don't get in the way when you check whether the grains are soft.
- Substitutions
- Swap the pumpkin for 50 g of carrot and cook it until soft, 12–15 minutes. Dilute the milk half and half with water if your toddler is used to that.
- Common mistakes
- The porridge sticks to the bottom and gets lumpy if you add the grits all at once or stir rarely. Crush a grain with a spoon: if it crunches, cook another 5 minutes.
- Storing and reheating
- Keep in the fridge for up to 1 day. Reheat with a spoonful of milk or water, stirring, and always cool it to warm: the porridge thickens and gets very hot inside. Don't freeze.
- Serve with
- Serve warm for breakfast, at about 40 °C. You can top it with a spoonful of unsweetened applesauce.
In short
- A child's portion for ages 1–3; suitable from 12 months. For younger kids, halve it and purée.
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