Lentil bolognese

Name: Lentil bolognese
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 2 adults and 1 baby, with leftover sauce
Ingredients: 150 g (¾ cup) dried red lentils; 1 onion; 1 medium carrot; 1 small zucchini (courgette); 1 can (400 g / 14 oz) chopped tomatoes; 1 tbsp tomato paste (purée); 500 ml (2 cups) water; 1 clove garlic; 1 tsp dried oregano or basil; 1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil; 250 g (9 oz) dried wheat pasta

A meat-free family pasta sauce of red lentils, grated carrot and zucchini and no-salt-added tomatoes, simmered until the lentils melt into the sauce. Served with wheat pasta: offer it once your baby has had wheat on its own.

From: 6 months
Time: 45 min
Makes: 2 adults and 1 baby, with leftover sauce

Contains wheat

Ingredients

150 g (¾ cup)dried red lentils
1onionfinely chopped
1 mediumcarrot
1 smallzucchini (courgette)
1 can (400 g / 14 oz)chopped tomatoesno salt added
1 tbsptomato paste (purée)check the label for no added salt
500 ml (2 cups)waterplus a little extra if it gets thick
1 clovegarlicfinely minced, optional
1 tspdried oregano or basiloptional; crumble it between your fingers
1 tbspolive or vegetable oil
250 g (9 oz)dried wheat pastaplain wheat pasta with no egg (check the label); large shapes such as fusilli or penne for the baby

Steps

1Wash your hands. Tip the lentils into a sieve, pick out any small stones, and rinse them under running water. Rinse and peel the onion, then chop it finely. Scrub the carrot under running water, peel it and grate it finely. Rinse the zucchini, trim the ends and grate it.
2Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-low heat and cook the onion gently for about 10 minutes, until very soft and see-through. Add the garlic for the last minute.
3Stir in the lentils, carrot, zucchini, tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs and water. Bring to a boil, then simmer, partly covered, for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lentils fall apart and the sauce is thick. Add a splash of water if it starts to stick. Don't add salt.
4Meanwhile, boil the pasta in plenty of unsalted water for a few minutes longer than the package says, until a piece squashes easily between your fingers. Drain it.
5Take your baby's portion of sauce and pasta out now, before any salt, cheese or seasoning goes in. For young babies, mash or blend the sauce until smooth with soft lumps. Spread it in a shallow bowl to cool, stir, and check it's only just warm before serving.

How to serve it by age

6 months+

If lentils are new, offer a little of the sauce on its own first. Once your baby has had wheat on its own without a reaction, offer a few large, very soft pasta shapes coated in sauce to grab. Or serve the mashed sauce on a pre-loaded spoon, or stirred into mashed potato.

9 months+

Cut the pasta into pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or use small shapes, and stir in the sauce so every piece is moist.

12 months+

Serve the family meal from the unsalted pot, with pasta in small shapes or pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch). Cut spaghetti and other long strands into short lengths. Salt and cheese go on the adults' plates only.

Where US and UK guidance differ on this recipe

United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting

The AAP says fresh baby food should be cooked with no added salt or seasoning, and doesn't give an age for herbs or garlic. If you'd rather follow that closely, leave out the garlic and herbs, or ask your pediatrician.

United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting

The NHS says not to add salt, stock cubes or gravy to your baby's food or cooking water. Its lentil pasta recipe for babies aged 10 to 12 months cooks red lentils with tomatoes, garlic and a pinch of dried mixed herbs, and its spag bol recipe suggests lentils in place of beef mince.

We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.

If your baby reacts

This recipe contains wheat. Introduce one new allergen at a time, mixed into a food your baby already eats, before serving it in a dish with other new foods. Contact your pediatrician, GP or health visitor if you notice mild signs after eating, such as a few hives or a little vomiting. See signs of a reaction.

Call 911999your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia) now if your baby has trouble breathing, wheezing, can't cough or cry, has lips, mouth, tongue or throat that suddenly swell, or becomes pale, bluish, floppy or unresponsive. Also call if hives come with repeated vomiting.

Leftovers and the rest of the family

Storing it

Cool leftover sauce quickly in shallow containers and keep it covered in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, or freeze it in small portions for 2 to 3 months. Thaw frozen sauce in the fridge and eat it within 24 hours of thawing. Cooked pasta keeps for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. The sauce thickens as it cools, so stir in a little water, then reheat only the portion you need, and only once, until it reaches a rolling boil or 165°F (74°C), and let it cool before serving. Throw away anything left in your baby's bowl, and any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F / 32°C).

For the grown-ups

Take your baby's portion out first, then season the rest of the sauce with salt and black pepper, and add grated Parmesan at the table for the adults. Spaghetti works for the adults; keep large shapes for the baby.