Butternut squash and lentil purée

Name: Butternut squash and lentil purée
Total time: 30 min
Yield: About 8 baby portions
Ingredients: 300 g (about 2 cups diced) butternut squash; 50 g (¼ cup) dried red lentils; 400 ml (1⅔ cups) water; 1 tsp vegetable or olive oil

Sweet butternut squash simmered with red lentils until everything falls apart, then blended smooth or mashed with soft lumps. An easy batch-cook that freezes well. Offer lentils on their own first.

Butternut squash and lentil purée in a bowl

From: 6 months
Time: 30 min
Makes: About 8 baby portions

No top allergens

Ingredients

300 g (about 2 cups diced)butternut squashabout ⅓ of a medium squash, peeled and seeded
50 g (¼ cup)dried red lentils
400 ml (1⅔ cups)waterplus a little extra if needed
1 tspvegetable or olive oiloptional

Steps

1Wash your hands. Scrub the squash with a clean vegetable brush under running water, then peel it, scoop out all the seeds and stringy bits, and cut it into small cubes about 2 cm (¾ in).
2Tip the lentils into a sieve, pick out any small stones, and rinse them under running water.
3Put the squash, lentils, water and oil in a pan. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer gently for about 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the squash is very soft and the lentils have fallen apart. Add a splash more water if it gets dry. Don't add salt or stock.
4Blend until smooth for first tastes, or mash with a fork or potato masher, leaving soft lumps, once your baby is used to eating. If it's too thick, thin the batch with a little water; thin only your baby's portion with breast milk or formula, just before serving.
5Spread it in a shallow bowl to cool, and check it's only just warm before serving.

How to serve it by age

6 months+

Once your baby has had lentils on their own without a reaction, serve it smooth or slightly lumpy on a pre-loaded spoon your baby can hold, or let them scoop it with their fingers.

9 months+

Mash it thicker and lumpier. Offer it with a spoon, or as a dip for soft finger foods such as steamed squash sticks or strips of lightly toasted plain bread (no honey) once wheat has been introduced.

12 months+

Serve it as a thick soup with toast fingers, or stir it through pasta or rice as a sauce for the whole family.

Leftovers and the rest of the family

Storing it

Only keep purée that was thinned with water: a portion thinned with breast milk or formula is for that meal only. Cool leftovers quickly and keep them in a covered container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. For batch cooking, spoon it into an ice cube tray, freeze it, then move the cubes to a labeled, dated freezer bag and use them within 3 months. Thaw in the fridge or microwave, use it within 24 hours of thawing, and reheat it only once, until steaming hot, 165°F (74°C), stirring well, then let it cool before serving. Throw away anything left in your baby's bowl, and any purée left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F / 32°C).