12–18 months
Chickpea and vegetable stew
Main mealPrep 22 minCook 60 minPortions: 4
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons of dried chickpeas
- 1 ripe tomato
- 1 small carrot
- 1 medium potato
- Water
Method
- Sort through the chickpeas 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 they are completely soft and crush between your fingers; do not use a slow cooker in place of the soaking and boiling the packet requires.
- Let them cool a little, then slip off every skin and throw the skins away.
- Add the peeled, deseeded tomato and the chopped vegetables, cook until soft and mash lightly with a fork.
Texture
Small soft pieces of vegetable and chickpea, with no whole chickpeas, no skins and no tomato skin left.
Serving
Serve warm and let your child eat it with a spoon.
Preparing for choking safety
Undercooked or firm chickpeas are never served; dried pulses must be soaked and cooked as the packet instructs. Chickpea skins stay firm and none is served before every skin is slipped off. The tomato must be 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. No salt or sugar is added to these recipes; honey is not given before one year. Their back teeth may not be through yet, so every piece must be soft enough to squash with gums and cut to a safe size. 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.
Collections this recipe appears in
Similar recipes
Thick chicken and orzo soup
12–18 months · Main meal
Prep 12 min · Cook 30 min
Thick red lentil soup
12–18 months · Main meal
Prep 10 min · Cook 30 min
Fork-mashed white beans
12–18 months · Main meal
Prep 22 min · Cook 65 min
Soft borlotti bean dish
12–18 months · Main meal
Prep 22 min · Cook 65 min
Green lentil and bulgur pilaf
12–18 months · Main meal
Prep 18 min · Cook 45 min
Chickpea pasta
12–18 months · Main meal
Prep 24 min · Cook 60 min
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.