This dish is like Thanksgiving in a slow cooker, and your baby will thank you for making it. Whether you puree or mash up the apple and sweet potato mixture for self-feeding, this is a wonderful meal for babies. As with all of these slow cooker recipes marked for babies, you can incorporate the recipe into your daily family meals too!
Slow Cooker Size: 4 to 6 quarts (3.8 to 5.7 l); oval
❄ Freezes well, but some separation may occur when thawed. Mix to combine.
🍎 Vitamins, A, B, C, E, and a little bit of iron and calcium
Slow Cooker Apples & Sweet Potatoes
Age and Stage: 8 months+ | Stage Two | Second Foods and Beyond | 4-6 hours cooking
Ingredients
- 3 large sweet potatoes
- 6 large apples, such as McIntosh
- 1 cup 235 ml cold water
- 1 ⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
- 1 ⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, optional
Instructions
- Wash the sweet potatoes and apples. Peel and then chop the sweet potatoes into small but relatively uniform chunks. Halve, core, and peel the apples. Roughly chop them into chunks.
- Transfer the sweet potatoes and apples to the slow cooker. Add the water. If using, add the cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or on high for 4 hours. After 3 hours of cooking time, check and add more water, if needed. The apples will simmer down nicely, while the sweet potatoes should be soft but not overly mushy.
- It is possible that the sweet potatoes may need additional time to cook. If so, you can opt to remove the apples and continue to cook the sweet potatoes or just set the timer for an additional hour.
Notes
Preparation and Storage for Baby:
Transfer the apples and sweet potatoes to a bowl to cool. Using a slotted spoon, remove some of the sweet potatoes and then spoon out some of the apples; set aside to offer as a finger food meal. Puree the remaining food in batches. Use a food processor to achieve a smooth texture and add water, formula, or breast milk as you continue to puree.
You can also partially puree the apples and sweet potatoes so that the food has some lumps and bumps to help baby make the transition to “table foods.” Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days for babies and up to 6 months in the freezer
For the Family:
Serve this mix as a delicious side dish. Prior to reducing the combo to a texture suitable for your baby, remove some of the sweet potatoes and apples and set aside. Or, when you have made enough baby food, keep the remaining sweet potatoes and apples in the slow cooker and reduce to a “butter”; add some maple syrup, a bit of brown sugar, and cinnamon, vanilla, and nutmeg to taste.