BEEF & APRICOT BOLOGNESE BY ZAINAB JAGOT AHMED

Beef, an extremely nutritious meat, is an excellent source of a range of B vitamins, protein, zinc and iron. This is a great meal for all-round healthy growth.

Stage 3 weaning – 10+ months

Total prep & cooking time: 25 mins

Suitable for freezing/ Makes 6 small servings

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion – peeled, chopped

250g tinned plum tomatoes

30g dried apricots – finely chopped

150g lean beef mince

1 tsp minced garlic

Pinch of ground black pepper

½ tsp ground garam masala

¼ tsp ground turmeric

150ml water

1 tbsp tomato puree

½ tsp Baby Spice Kitchen Italian blend

50g grated carrot (about 1 medium carrot) – washed, peeled, grated

Freshly cooked pasta, to serve 

Method

Heat the oil in a saucepan on medium-low heat, add the onion and sauté for 3–4 minutes until soft and golden. While the onion is cooking, place the plum tomatoes and apricots in a blender (or use a handheld blender) and blend until smooth. Set aside.

Add the beef to the onion and fry, stirring and breaking up the mince to avoid lumps, until the beef is opaque. Remove any excess liquid then add the garlic, black pepper, garam masala and turmeric and cook for a few seconds. Pour in the blended tomato and apricot sauce with the water, stir in the tomato puree and Baby Spice Kitchen Italian blend, reduce the heat to low and simmer (covered) for 15 minutes.

Add the carrot, stir and add some extra water if needed. Simmer for a further 10 minutes until the mince and carrots are tender. Serve on a bed of freshly cooked spaghetti, mash or chop as required, then watch your little one slurp away. Freeze the remaining sauce for another time.

Recipe adapted from The Flavour-led Weaning Cookbook by Zainab Jagot Ahmed (Ebury Press, £14.99). Photography by Zainab Jagot Ahmed.

Biography: Zainab Jagot Ahmed

Zainab Jagot Ahmed is the UK’s flavour-led weaning expert and mum of one food-loving little girl. Following the success of her daughter’s weaning journey, Zainab realised she could help other mums raise adventurous eaters too and devised recipes and meal plans anyone can use.

Zainab writes for a number of leading parenting titles and appeared as expert speaker at The Baby Show, the UK’s leading pregnancy and parenting event. She is author of two award-winning weaning and family cookbooks - Easy Indian Super Meals and The Flavour-led Weaning Cookbook published by Ebury Press.

Zainab can be found blogging recipes on her website www.ZainabJagotAhmed.com, and positing on her social networks Instagram/ Facebook @zainabjagotahmed

Books by Zainab

Easy Indian Super Meals for Babies, Toddlers and the Family

The Flavour-led Weaning Cookbook

Recipe adapted from The Flavour-led Weaning Cookbook by Zainab Jagot Ahmed (Ebury Press, £14.99). Photography by Zainab Jagot Ahmed.