33–34 months
Red lentil pasta
Main mealPrep 10 minCook 25 minPortions: 3
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons red lentils
- 4 tablespoons small pasta
- 1 ripe tomato
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Method
- Rinse the lentils well and boil in twice their volume of water, with no salt, for 20 minutes until collapsed.
- Boil the pasta with no salt for 2 minutes longer than the packet says.
- Peel the tomato, remove the seeds, chop it and cook in the olive oil for 5 minutes.
- Stir everything together and serve warm.
Texture
A moist mixture of very soft pasta and collapsed lentils.
Serving
Serve warm and let your child eat it with a fork.
Preparing for choking safety
The lentils must collapse completely — undercooked pulses leave firm grains. The pasta is cooked completely soft. The tomato is peeled.
Key nutrients
ProteinIronFolateCarbohydrate
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.