Baby and toddler recipes
🍝 Beef and red lentil baby bolognese
A gentle, iron-rich bolognese made with lean beef mince and red lentils, with no salt or stock. Blend it smooth for first tastes or keep it chunky with soft pasta shapes as your baby grows.
Makes about 8 baby portions
Ingredients
- 250g Beef mince (lean)
- 50g Red lentils (rinsed)
- 1 small Onion (finely chopped)
- 1 Carrot (finely grated)
- 1 stick Celery (finely chopped)
- 1 clove Garlic (crushed)
- 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes Tomato (no added salt)
- ½ tsp Oregano (dried)
- 1 tsp Olive oil
- Water (about 200ml)
- small shapes, to serve Pasta (cooked very soft)
Method
- Warm the oil in a pan and gently soften the onion, carrot and celery for 8 minutes.
- Add the garlic and beef mince and cook, breaking it up well with a spoon, until no pink remains.
- Stir in the lentils, tomatoes, oregano and water.
- Simmer gently with a lid half on for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lentils have collapsed and the sauce is thick. Add a splash more water if it catches.
- For young babies, blend to a smooth or slightly lumpy texture. For older babies, leave as it is.
- Serve with soft cooked pasta, or freeze in portions.
Serving it to your baby
For first tastes at 6 months, blend it smooth with a little extra water and offer on a spoon, or stir through mashed potato. From 7 to 9 months, mash it and mix with tiny soft pasta. From 9 months, serve with pasta shapes your baby can pick up.
For the rest of the family
This is the family bolognese base. Take the baby portions out, then season the rest with salt, pepper and a little red wine or parmesan for the grown-ups.
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
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
Is red meat good for babies?
Yes. From around 6 months babies need iron from food, and red meat like beef is one of the best sources because the body absorbs it easily.
Why put lentils in a bolognese?
Lentils add extra iron and fibre, stretch the meat further and give a soft texture that babies find easy to manage.
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).