6–8 months
Borlotti bean mash
Main mealPrep 20 minCook 60 minPortions: 3
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons of dried borlotti beans
- 1 small potato
- Cooking water
Method
- Sort through the borlotti beans and rinse them.
- Follow the soaking and cooking instructions on the packet; throw the soaking water away if the packet asks you to cook them in fresh water.
- With no salt added, cook until the beans are completely soft and crush between your fingers; do not use a slow cooker in place of the soaking and boiling the packet requires.
- Take them off the heat and let them cool a little.
- Slip off every skin and throw the skins away.
- Mash with the separately boiled potato, soften with the cooking water and serve once cooled.
Texture
Softly mashed with small soft lumps, and no whole beans and no bean skins left.
Serving
Serve warm. Introduce foods that can trigger an allergic reaction one at a time and in small amounts, so you can spot any reaction.
Preparing for choking safety
Undercooked or firm borlotti beans are never served; dried pulses must be soaked and cooked as the packet instructs. Their skins stay firm even when cooked and are a choking risk, so none is served before every skin is slipped off.
Key nutrients
ProteinIronFolateFibre
Storage
Cool within 1 to 2 hours of cooking, then refrigerate or freeze in small portions. Use a refrigerated portion within 2 days. Eat a defrosted portion within 24 hours. When reheating, heat until steaming hot all the way through, then let it cool before serving, and reheat any portion only once. Throw away a half-eaten portion rather than storing or reheating it.
Safety
Your baby should be sitting upright and someone should stay with them while they eat. Add no salt, sugar or honey; honey is not given before one year. Babies do not all manage the same texture at the same age — follow your baby's pace rather than pushing. If your baby has an allergy, eczema, or a family history of allergy, talk to your GP or health visitor before introducing new foods.
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Recipes are a suggestion; they do not replace breast milk, formula, or your child's own feeding plan. If there is an allergy or a specific dietary situation, speak with a health professional.