Noah Koch, 9, a fourth-grader at Mount Merici Academy in Waterville, knows his way around the kitchen.

Along with 53 other students throughout the country, Noah was honored in July at the White House for his award-winning “Vegan Powerhouse Pesto Pasta” recipe.

As part of Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” initiative to fight childhood obesity, 54 recipes from students ages 8 to 12 nationwide were selected. Noah was the winner from Maine.

The young chefs were invited to a White House luncheon where they were honored and met the first couple.

Each recipe had to meet the USDA’s healthy meal criteria and represent each of the five food groups. Fruits and vegetables had to be part of at least half the recipe.

President Obama made a surprise appearance at the dinner and went around to each table to meet the winners, including Noah.

“The president and first lady were very friendly,” Noah said. “Michelle Obama is taller than she looks on TV, especially when she wears high heels.”

At age 9, Noah’s been cooking for years.

“We have a picture of Noah at 2 years old in his high chair stirring soup,” said his mother, Hilary Koch.

“I love cooking,” Noah said. “I love healthy cooking.”

Typically, pesto is made with olive oil, which adds calories. To cut back, Noah uses cannellini beans, lemon juice and plenty of vegetables — fresh basil, grape tomatoes, avocados and baby spinach leaves — making a tasty and nourishing dish that’s also gluten free thanks to its quinoa-based pasta.

When Noah was in Washington, D.C. he was honored for his vegan recipe as a guest of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which recommends a plant-based diet for good health.

“When I came back to Maine I became a vegan. No animal products. I feel healthier,” he said.

His mother said he’s committed to a vegan diet, which involves no foods derived from animal sources, including eggs and cheese.

In addition to his award-winning gluten-free vegan pasta dish, Noah’s other favorites include his split-pea soup and his black bean soup, both of which he makes from scratch.

Noah’s mother said she and her husband feel strongly about raising their children eating healthy food. Children are more likely to eat healthy food, she said, when they are involved in making it.

“I got him in the kitchen cooking with me as soon as he was able to wheel the high chair to the kitchen,” she said.

As a baby and toddler, “I saw no reason to give him a cookie,” Koch said. Strawberries and grapes were sweet treats. They ate whole wheat pasta and breads, and little if any processed foods. Homemade pizza was made with whole wheat flour and broccoli and carrots in place of pepperoni.

“Kids will eat what you give them when they’re little; they don’t know otherwise,” Koch said. If they’re given sweet potatoes and avocados, they’ll develop a taste for sweet potatoes and avocados.

“If you give them hamburgers and French fries, that’s what their taste buds will develop,” she said.

But the family’s diet changed when Noah’s younger brother developed a health problem and had to eat gluten-free.

His family had to re-work their recipes. It took a while to perfect the pesto pasta, made with gluten-free quinoa pasta. The family recommends the macaroni-style quinoa noodles.

When asked by other parents how she encourages her children to eat healthy, Koch recommends they involve their children in the food preparation and teach them about what they’re eating.

She told her children there are three kinds of foods:

— “Super foods:” power foods like broccoli, blueberries, avocados and sweet potatoes. She said they need some of those foods for their bodies every day.

— “Every day foods,” which offer basic nutrition and are fine to eat.

— And “sometimes food,” which is not as healthy and can be eaten just occasionally.

Being invited to the White House because of Noah’s healthy recipe was an incredible experience, his mother said. “He was really proud. It made him feel extraordinary,” a validation to keep doing what he’s doing.

Noah and his brother don’t eat like most other children. There are no sweets in school. Said their mom, “We tell them, ‘If you feel good about something you’ve done, go out for a run. You shouldn’t celebrate with food.’”

Noah’s vegan powerhouse pesto pasta

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound quinoa pasta (Noah recommends the macaroni style of this gluten-free pasta)

2 ripe avocados, pitted and flesh scooped out

1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves

4 cups fresh basil leaves, plus a few leaves reserved for garnish

1/2 cup walnuts

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and boil until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.

While the pasta is boiling, combine the avocados and spinach in a food processor and pulse briefly (about 6 times). Add the basil, walnuts, 1/4 cup cannellini beans, lemon juice, garlic and pepper, and pulse about 6 more times. With the food processor on, gradually add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream.

Add 3/4 of the sauce to the cooked pasta, tossing gently to coat the noodles. Add the remaining sauce, as desired, and stir to coat the noodles evenly.

To serve, transfer the pasta to a big pasta bowl (family-style) and top with the remaining cannellini beans and grape tomatoes. Garnish with the reserved basil.

A serving includes: 431 calories; 8 grams protein; 58 grams carbohydrates; 20 grams fat (2.5 grams saturated fat); 83 milligrams sodium.

Noah recommends the above dish with a fruit salad of strawberries, peeled and diced apples and blueberries, served with soy milk.

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