ParentSide
12–18 months

Soft borlotti bean dish

Main mealPrep 22 minCook 65 minPortions: 4

Ingredients

  • 5 tablespoons of dried borlotti beans
  • 1 medium potato
  • 1 small carrot
  • 1 teaspoon of olive oil
  • Water

Method

  1. Sort through the borlotti beans and rinse them.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Let them cool a little, then slip off every skin and throw the skins away.
  5. Cook the chopped potato and carrot with the olive oil until they crush with a fork.
  6. Combine with the beans, mash lightly with a fork and serve once warm.

Texture

Mashed borlotti among small soft pieces of vegetable, with no whole bean and no skin left.

Serving

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

Preparing for choking safety

Undercooked or firm borlotti beans are never served and every skin is slipped off. Carrot is never given raw.

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.

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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.