ParentSide
25–26 months

Borlotti beans in olive oil

Main mealPrep 15 minCook 60 minPortions: 3

Ingredients

  • 5 tablespoons dried borlotti beans
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 ripe tomato
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Method

  1. Follow the soaking and cooking instructions on the packet; throw the soaking water away if the packet asks you to, and cook until the pulses are completely soft.
  2. Peel and dice the carrot small; peel the tomato, remove the seeds and chop it.
  3. Cook the carrot in the olive oil for 5 minutes, then add the tomato for 5 minutes more.
  4. Add the beans with a little water and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
  5. Squash the beans individually with a fork and serve warm.

Texture

A moist mixture of squashed beans and soft vegetables.

Serving

Serve warm and let your child eat it with a spoon.

Preparing for choking safety

Beans are round and firm, so each one is squashed rather than served whole. Undercooked dried pulses stay hard and are not used. The tomato is peeled.

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 child should be sitting upright and someone should stay with them while they eat — never while walking, running or in a moving car. No salt or sugar is added to these recipes. Their back teeth may not be fully through, so every piece must be soft enough to squash with gums and cut to a safe size. Round foods such as grapes and cherry tomatoes are always quartered lengthways. Whole nuts and popcorn are never given. Egg, meat and fish must be cooked all the way through, and unpasteurised dairy is not used. Children do not all manage the same texture at the same age — follow your child's pace rather than pushing. If your child has an allergy, eczema, or a family history of allergy, talk to your GP or health visitor before introducing new foods. Introduce foods that can trigger an allergic reaction one at a time and in small amounts, so you can spot any reaction.

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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.