Beef & Vegetable Bolognese

This is the one thing I know my baby will always eat first time and really enjoy it. He loves it! While the beef gives him a nice dose of iron, it’s great to sneak in lots of vegetables too. I like to batch cook this and freeze cubes for him and larger portions for adults.

Prep time: 5 mins

Cooking time: 40 mins

Beef & Vegetable Bolognese Ingredients:

1 kg beef mince (the best possible quality)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

700g tomato passata

1 large onion, chopped

3 sticks celery, washed and finely chopped

3 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped

80g tomato puree

Freshly ground pepper

Method:

1. Brown the beef in a little of the oil in a hot pan
2. Fry the chopped carrot, celery and onion in a separate pan at the same time until softened
3. Tip the vegetables in with the beef and mix
4. Add the passata, tomato puree and a little pepper and stir
5. Bring to a boil and allow to gently simmer for 20-30 mins

Recommended Kitchen Equipment

Kenwood Hand Blender, Chopper , Metal Whisk and BPA-Free Plastic Beaker

This tool makes light work of blending even small amounts of meat and vegetables for the weaning stages, as well as whisking or chopping for every day cooking. I use this for chopping the celery and carrot and then for blending the the bolognese with pasta just before serving to my little one.

Zeal Silicone Non-Scratch Spatula Spoon Dark Grey (10”/26cm)

My very favourite cooking utensil and it’s used every day. It’s both a spoon and a spatula so it’s great for scraping the sides of a bowl or a pot.

Ice Cube Trays, Silicone Ice Moulds with Lids, Perfect for Baby Food portions BPA Free

Every time I prepare a vegetable, sauce, or bolognese for my little one, I make extra and freeze it in these trays. That way I have a stash to pull from the freezer any evening. There’s also an adult portion tray I use frequently:

Large Silicone Freezing Tray with Lid, 300ml portions, BPA free

These are great for both cooking and freezing adult size portions. I bake things like fish pie and chicken broccoli in these trays too. Once frozen I tip the contents into zip-lock bags.