Baby and toddler recipes
🥧 Beef and carrot cottage pie for babies
A classic cottage pie with an iron-rich beef and vegetable filling and a soft potato and parsnip mash on top. No salt, no gravy granules, just slow-cooked flavour.
Makes about 8 baby portions
Ingredients
- 300g Beef mince (lean)
- 1 Onion (finely chopped)
- 2 Carrot (finely diced)
- 4 Mushroom (finely chopped)
- 1 tbsp Tomato purée
- ½ tsp Thyme (dried)
- 400g Potato (peeled, cubed)
- 1 Parsnip (peeled, cubed)
- 1 tbsp Butter (unsalted)
- 3 tbsp Cow's milk (whole)
- Water (about 250ml)
Method
- Brown the mince in a dry pan, then add the onion, carrot and mushroom and cook for 8 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato puree, thyme and water. Simmer gently for 25 minutes until thick.
- Meanwhile, boil the potato and parsnip for 15 minutes until soft, drain and mash with the butter and milk.
- Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan). Spoon the filling into small ramekins or a dish and top with mash.
- Bake for 20 minutes until bubbling and lightly golden.
- Cool well before serving.
Serving it to your baby
At 7 months, mash the filling and topping together into a soft, lumpy texture. From 9 months, serve as it is, or scoop onto a preloaded spoon. Toddlers enjoy their own little ramekin.
For the rest of the family
Make it in one big dish. Take out the baby portions before seasoning, or season the adult plates at the table with salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce.
Storing and reheating
Cool quickly (within an hour), then keep covered in the fridge for up to 2 days or freeze in baby portions for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, reheat until steaming hot all the way through, stir well and let it cool before serving. Never reheat more than once.
Weaning with OBubba
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Questions parents ask
Can babies have tomato puree?
Yes, plain tomato puree is fine in small amounts. Check the label: most have no added salt.
Why no gravy or stock cube?
Stock cubes and gravy granules are very salty. Babies under 12 months should have less than 1g salt a day, so we rely on vegetables and herbs for flavour.
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).