As you know I’m a HUGE fan of Annabel Karmel, MBE so I’m very excited about her brand new cookbook, Top 100 Pasta Dishes (RRP £9.99, available from Waterstones and Ebury Press). It’s packed full of healthy, yummy meals for the whole family, including mouth-watering recipes for babies and toddlers. There’s a huge variety of recipes ranging from Spicy Sausage Meatball Pasta to my personal favourite, the Japanese-inspired Stir Fried Beef with Noodles.

Here are two recipes for you to try – plus, below, win a copy of Top 100 Pasta Dishes!

Baby vegetable pasta Annabel says: ‘As your baby gets older it is important to encourage him to chew, so dice vegetables instead of pureeing them. Frozen peas and sweetcorn are good standbys to keep in your freezer.’

Ingredients
50 g (2 oz) baby shell pasta
10 g (V oz) butter
50 g (2 oz) onion, finely chopped
30 g (1 oz) carrot, finely diced
30 g (1 oz) red pepper, finely diced
30 g (1 oz) frozen sweetcorn
30 g (1 oz) frozen peas
10 g (V oz) plain flour
250 ml (9 fl oz) vegetable stock
2 tbsp basil, chopped
1 tsp lemon juice
30 g (1 oz) Parmesan cheese, grated

Method
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Drain. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the onion, carrot and pepper, cover with a lid and sauté for 10 minutes until nearly soft. Add the sweetcorn and peas and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the flour, then add the stock, stirring until thickened. Simmer for 3 minutes, then add the basil, lemon juice and Parmesan. Stir in the drained pasta. Serve.

Salami, red pepper and mozzarella pasta Annabel says: ‘Most children like salami, so here is a simple recipe that you can put together in about 15 minutes.’

Ingredients

180 g (6 oz) pasta shells
2 tbsp olive oil
1 red pepper, finely diced
1 small garlic clove, crushed
50 g (2 oz) thinly sliced salami, roughly chopped
150 g (5V oz) cherry tomatoes, chopped into 8
75 g (3 oz) mozzarella, cubed
grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

Method

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to the instructions on the packet. Drain. Heat the oil in a saucepan. Fry the pepper for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and salami. Fry for another 5 minutes. Add the drained pasta, cherry tomatoes and mozzarella and season. Serve with a little Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

*Competition: WIN a copy of Top 100 Pasta Dishes!

There are 10 copies to be won in our fab competition. All you have to do is send an email from your KidStart registered email with ‘Annabel Karmel’ in the catchline and your full name and address, plus your answer to the question below, to competitions@kidstart.co.uk by the closing date May 28. (If you’re not a KidStart member, click here to join.)

Q: How many recipes are there in Annabel’s new cookbook?