Baby and toddler recipes
🥘 Lamb and apricot tagine for babies
Slow-cooked lamb with chickpeas, dried apricots and gentle Moroccan spices until it falls apart. Iron-rich and naturally sweet, with no salt or stock.
Makes about 8 baby portions
Ingredients
- 300g lamb shoulder or neck fillet Lamb (trimmed and diced)
- 1 Onion (finely chopped)
- 1 Carrot (diced)
- ½ x 400g tin Chickpeas (drained, rinsed, skins pinched off for young babies)
- 4 Dried apricots (finely chopped)
- 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes Tomato (no added salt)
- ½ tsp Cumin
- ¼ tsp Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Ginger (ground)
- 1 tsp Olive oil
- Water (about 300ml)
- to serve Couscous
Method
- Brown the lamb in the oil in a heavy pan, then lift out.
- Soften the onion and carrot in the same pan for 8 minutes, then stir in the spices.
- Return the lamb with the tomatoes, apricots and water. Cover and simmer very gently for 1 hour.
- Add the chickpeas and cook for another 20 to 30 minutes until the lamb shreds easily.
- Shred the lamb with two forks and mash the chickpeas for younger babies.
- Serve with soft couscous.
Serving it to your baby
At 7 months, blend or mash well so the lamb is in tiny soft shreds. From 9 months, offer soft chunks of lamb and whole chickpeas squashed flat between your fingers.
For the rest of the family
Serve the adults with harissa, fresh mint and a squeeze of lemon, seasoned to taste at the table.
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
Are dried apricots ok for babies?
Yes, chopped finely and cooked into a dish. Whole dried fruit can be sticky and hard to manage, so avoid serving it whole to young babies.
Is lamb good for weaning?
Lamb is rich in easily absorbed iron and zinc, and slow cooking makes it tender enough for babies 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).