Baby and toddler recipes
🥩 Iron-rich beef and carrot first purée
Slow-cooked beef mince blended with carrot and potato into a smooth first meat purée. Red meat is one of the best sources of easily absorbed iron and zinc, which babies need more of from around 6 months.
Makes about 10 ice cube portions
Ingredients
- 125g Beef mince (lean)
- 1 large Carrot (peeled and diced)
- 1 small Potato (peeled and diced)
- quarter of an onion Onion (finely chopped)
- a pinch Thyme
- 300ml water
Method
- Brown the mince with the onion in a dry non-stick pan, breaking it up well.
- Add the carrot, potato, thyme and water.
- Cover and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes until everything is very tender.
- Blend until completely smooth, adding a splash of water if needed.
- Cool to warm before serving.
Serving it to your baby
Meat purées can feel grainy at first, so blend for longer than vegetable purées. From 7 months blend less for a soft texture with tiny pieces, and by 9 months you can just mash.
For the rest of the family
Cook a bigger batch as the base of a cottage pie for the family, seasoning adult portions and adding Worcestershire sauce after baby's is scooped out.
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.
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Questions parents ask
When can babies eat meat?
From around 6 months. Red meat is especially useful because babies' iron stores start to run low around this age.
Why is my meat purée grainy?
Mince can become crumbly. Cooking it slowly in plenty of liquid and blending well with vegetables like potato helps make it smooth.
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).