Baby and toddler recipes
🍝 Batch cook beef and red lentil baby bolognese
A big pan of mild bolognese made with beef mince, red lentils and lots of vegetables, frozen in baby portions. Beef and lentils together make this one of the most iron-rich meals you can batch cook.
Makes about 8 baby portions
Ingredients
- 250g Beef mince (lean)
- 50g Red lentils (rinsed)
- 1 small Onion (finely chopped)
- 1 medium Carrot (finely grated)
- half a courgette Courgette (finely grated)
- 1 clove Garlic (crushed)
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes Tomato (no added salt)
- half a teaspoon Oregano (dried)
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 200ml water
Method
- Soften the onion, carrot and courgette in the oil for 8 minutes.
- Add the garlic and mince and cook, breaking it up, until browned.
- Add the lentils, tomatoes, oregano and water. Simmer gently, partly covered, for 30 minutes until thick and the lentils have melted in.
- Blend or pulse briefly for a 7 month old so the mince is soft and fine.
- Cool quickly and portion into freezer pots.
Serving it to your baby
At 7 months serve pulsed and mixed with very soft, small pasta or mashed potato. From 9 months serve over cut-up pasta shapes, which babies can pick up. Offer a soft fruit afterwards for vitamin C.
For the rest of the family
Double the recipe and season the adult share with salt, black pepper, a splash of red wine or Worcestershire sauce and parmesan at the table.
Storing and reheating
Cool within an hour, then fridge for up to 2 days or freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, reheat until piping hot all the way through, stir well and cool to warm. Never reheat more than once.
Weaning with OBubba
Plan meals and log what your baby loved.
OBubba keeps a record of every food your baby has tried and spots the allergens for you, so you always know what is next. Free to download.
Questions parents ask
Can babies have tomatoes?
Yes, cooked tomatoes are fine from around 6 months. Choose tins with no added salt and avoid jars of ready sauce, which are often salty.
Why add lentils to bolognese?
Lentils thicken the sauce, add fibre and plant iron, and stretch the meat further. They melt into the sauce so most babies do not notice them.
OBubba gives general information based on UK guidance. It is not medical advice and does not diagnose anything. Every baby is different. If your baby has a known allergy, severe eczema or a medical condition, speak to your doctor or health visitor before starting solids. Learn baby first aid, and in an emergency call your local emergency number (999 in the UK).