Baby beef stew

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Recipe by Beverley Glock

★ ★ ★ ★ ★★ 7 ratings Rate this recipe

Red meat is a good source of easily absorbed iron, which babies need for growth and brain development...

Photo: Quintet Publishing 2011

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Serves 8+
Difficulty Level Easy

Preparation

Print this recipe

Total Time 35 mins
Preparation Time 10 mins
Cooking Time 25 mins

Ingredients
Method

450g lean minced beef
1 tsp mixed herbs, dried
2 carrots
2 potatoes

Wash, peel and chop the carrots and potatoes
Put the beef into a saucepan with the herbs, then add enough water to cover
Add the chopped carrots and potatoes to the pan
Cover, bring to the boil and simmer for 20–25 minutes, or until the meat and vegetables are cooked
Drain the water and reserve
Purée the beef and vegetables, adding the cooking water as needed to achieve the required consistency
Serve warm
Cool the mixture quickly and refrigerate within 1 hour, or freeze and use within 1 month
Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days
To use from frozen, carefully defrost and heat through fully before serving

You will need

Saucepan

Tips

Recipe makes 8-10 baby size portions.

Choose lean cuts of beef (cubed) or lean minced beef for this stew

If you're doing baby-led weaning, it's fine to serve this to your baby without pureeing. Just make sure that the meat is well cooked until it's soft enough for your baby to gum.

If you prefer to puree it, that's totally fine, too. You may prefer to start with a smooth puree, then gradually make it a bit chunkier each time. This will help your baby learn to like new textures, and develop the muscles they need to chew and talk.

Variations

Lamb stew: Prepare the basic recipe replacing the beef with 225 g of boneless lamb cubes or minced lamb
Pork stew: Prepare the basic recipe, replacing the beef with 225 g pound of boneless pork cubes or minced pork
Chicken stew: Prepare the basic recipe, replacing the beef with 2–3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Beef stew with broccoli & green beans: Prepare the basic recipe, add 4 broccoli florets and a handful of green beans to the pot with the meat, potato and carrot during the last 10 minutes of cooking
Beef stew with brown rice: Prepare the basic recipe, omitting the potato - cook 140g brown rice in 240 ml water for 15–20 minutes, until the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender, add rice to the beef and carrot, and purée