Diet and Nutrition

Recipes for Pureed Foods - Entrees, Vegetables, and Salads

A number of medical and dental conditions require special care to ensure complete and balanced nutrition while maintaining a soft diet. Information follows to help guide your choices.

While you are having difficulty chewing or swallowing, use these recipes for preparing pureed meals . They can be the basis for developing your own recipes. Be creative! You can puree almost any food. Serve foods attractively and try a variety of herbs and seasonings. Do not limit yourself to plan foods and milkshakes. Experiment and enjoy!

Blenderized Meats
Beef Stew
Roast Meat and Potatoes
Chicken and Noodles
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Steak and Mushrooms
Macaroni and Cheese
Meat Loaf
Tuna Noodle Casserole
Mashed Potatoes
Blended Vegetables
Broccoli and Cheese
Guacamole
Spinach Souffle
Cole Slaw
Genatin Salad
Cottage Cheese and Fruit
Potato or Macaroni Salad

Entrees

Blenderized Meats

½ cup cooked meat or 1 jar baby strained meat
6 tablespoons hot broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Place meat and broth in blender. Cover. Process on low speed until smooth. Add salt to taste. Yield: 1 serving

Beef Stew

1 cup cooked beef stew
1 cup beef bouillon

Put all ingredients into blender. Blend well. Yield: 1 serving

Roast Meat and Potatoes

3 ounces cooked roast beef (beef, chicken or pork)
½ cup mashed potatoes
½ cup gravy
1 cup hot water or broth

Put meat in blender and process until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and puree to desired consistency. Yeild: 1 serving

Chicken and Noodles

1 cup boiled chicken and noodles
½ cup mashed potatoes
1 cup hot chicken broth

Put chicken, noodles and potatoes in blender. Blend until smooth. Add broth and puree. Yeild: 1 serving

Spaghetti and Meatballs

½ cup cooked spaghetti noodles
2 meatballs
½ cup spaghetti sauce
¾ cup hot water
Parmesan cheese or seasoning to taste

Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend well. Yeild: 1 serving

Steak and Mushrooms

3 ounces cooked steakl
½ cup mashed potatoes
¾ cup mushroom gravy or soup 1 cup hot milk

Put steak in blender. Blend until finely minced. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Yeild: 1 serving

Macaroni and Cheese

1 cup baked macaroni and cheese
1 cup hot milk

Add all ingredients to blender. Blend well. Yield: 1 serving

Meat Loaf

3 ounces meat loaf
1 small boiled potato
1 small boiled carrot
2 tablespoons brown gravy
1 cup beef bouillon

Cut meat load, potato and carrot into cubes. Put all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth. Yield: 1 serving

Tuna Noodle Casserole

1 cup tuna noodle casserole
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup hot milk
1 cup hot water

Put all ingredients into blender. Blend until smooth. Yield: 1 serving

Vegetables and Salads

Mashed Potatoes

½ teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons margarine
1 cup instant mashed potato flakes

Combine salt, milk, and margarine in saucepan and simmer. Add instant potatoes and mix well. If too thick, add hot water to desired consistency. Yield: 2 cups

Blended Vegetables

½ cup cooked vegetables
6 tablespoons milk or hot broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Place vegetables and liquid in blender. Cover. Process on low speed until smooth. To test if smooth, rub a small amount between your fingers. If any large particles can be felt, process again. Add salt and pepper to taste. Heat and serve. Yield: 1 serving

Broccoli and Cheese

8 ounces frozen broccoli in cheese sauce
3 tablespoons milk or water

Cook broccoli as directed. Add milk or water. Blend until smooth. Yield: 1 cup

Guacamole

2 ripe avocados
1 tomato
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
Garlic salt to taste

Peel avocados and cut into small pieces. Mash with a fork. Cut tomato into small pieces. Add lemon juice and garlic salt. Blend all ingredients until smooth. Yield: 1 ½ cups

Spinach Souffle

1 package forzen spinach souffle
½ can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup

Cook spinach souffle according to directions. Heat soup. Place cooked souffle and hot soup in blender and blend until smooth. Add water as needed to make more liquid. Yield: 2 - 2½ cups

Cole Slaw

2 cups finely chopped cabbage
1 tablespoon of your favorite dressing
Salt to taste

Put cabbage in blender with enough cold water to cover. Process on chop cycle. Pour into strainer and drain well. Put drained cabbage, dressing, and seasoning into blender. Blend until cabbage is no longer visible. Yield: 2 cups

Gelatin Salad

2 tablespoons flavored gelatin powder
1 cup boiling water
½ cup fresh or cooked fruit

Put gelatin into boiling water. Stir until dissolved. Put gelatin and fruit into blender and blend until smooth. Let cool to drinkable temperature. Drink warm. Yield: 1 cup

Cottage Cheese and Fruit

1 cup cottage cheese
½ cup cooked or canned fruit
½ cup fruit juice

Add all ingredients to blender. Blend well. Yield: 1 serving

Potato or Macaroni Salad

1 cup potato or macaroni salad
1 cup milk

Put salad into blender. Blend until smooth. Add milk and blend until of liquid consistency. Yield: 1-1/2 cups

This information originally appeared in the Journey Guide Patient Handbook developed by the Ireland Cancer Center at University Hospitals, and was adapted for use on NetWellness with permission, 2009.

More About Pureed Meals

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Last Reviewed: Nov 16, 2009

Kimberly Ortega, MS, RD, LD
Dietician, Oncology Specialist
Ireland Cancer Center
University Hospitals
School of Medicine
Case Western Reserve University

Pierre Lavertu, MD, FRCS(C), FACS
Director and Professor
Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology
Ireland Cancer Center
University Hospitals
School of Medicine
Case Western Reserve University