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Red Lentil Puree is one of my favorite easy baby food recipes to make when I want something soft, flavorful, and filling for my little one. Red lentils cook down quickly into a smooth, creamy texture that’s perfect for babies and toddlers just starting on solids, and a little curry, cumin, and turmeric give it a warm, Indian-inspired flavor.
One of my favorite things about my son is that he will happily eat just about anything. But one of the challenges during meal time is that if there are trains, toys or anything else fun and exciting within his view (no matter what I hide before dinner there is always bound to be something in his line of sight that’s more exciting than eating!), he wants to be playing with them instead.
For that reason, I usually have 5 to 10 minutes to get him to eat dinner before he’s focused on something else. I’ve also noticed that if he eats something pureed or soft and easy to chew, I can maximize the amount of food he gets down in that window. If I give him a dish he loves but that takes a while to chew and break down, he gets tired of it and sometimes doesn’t eat nearly as much. For that reason, I love making him this soft, flavorful Red Lentil Puree.
Red lentils cook down soft and creamy, which makes them perfect for little mouths. Add some vegetables and warm spices and they turn into a flavorful, Indian-inspired puree for your baby or toddler. Serve it over soft basmati rice for an easy, meatless meal that comes together with pantry staples.
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Red Lentil Puree
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 Large Carrot, peeled and cut into a small dice
- 1 Garlic Clove
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 Cups water
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 14 oz Can Tomato Puree
- 1 Cups Red Lentils, rinsed well
- Brown or White Basmati RIce
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
- Saute the onions and carrots for 4 minutes.
- Add the garlic, ginger, curry, cumin and turmeric and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the lentils, water, salt and tomato puree and bring to a boil.
- Stir, cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 35 minutes or until creamy and tender.
- Serve with basmati rice.
Notes
- Allow to cool, store in appropriate container or ziploc bag, label and freeze up to 4 months. When ready, defrost in fridge for 24 hours or place in pot and bring to heat over low-medium heat.
- For babies under 1 year old, you can leave out the salt.
She sure will!
I can’t wait to make this for my baby she is going to love the new flavors
sorry for the typos…clearly I’m a sleep deprived mom.
You can use any type of lentils, just check the package and adjust the cooking time accordingly. You can omit the salt as well!
This recipe sounds great! If i wanted to make it for my six mo. old should I still add the salt? Also, is there a reason you those red lentils or would french lentils work as well? Thanks!
I love all of your recipes . Not only they are nutritious but incorporating so many different favors makes the kids used to eating a variety of foods.. Also, I’m Persian and this dish is a very traditional southern food.
Are the spices and rice safe to give my 10 month old who also does not have teeth?
There are so many types of curry powder out there – just wondering what one(s) work best in this recipe?
Looks yummy. I am nervous first time mama… can you serve whole brown rice to a 9 month old or would you just do the puree?
Since your daughter is so young I would follow the few days rule to see how she reacts!
I know that when I introduce new foods to my 6 month old daughter, I wait a few day to see if she has a reaction to them. Did you do this for spices as well? This sounds great for my family but I have never given her cumin, turmeric, garlic, or ginger. I know you aren’t a doctor, I just wondered what guidelines you followed?
I just made this for the first time this weekend. Delicious! Can’t wait for my 4 month old to get a bit older. My 4 year old isn’t a very adventuresome eater, but I hope seeing is baby brother try new things will entice him.
Our whole family ate this. It was delicious, nutritious and filling.
My 9 month old had the same reaction as Yvonne’s above! She loved it too! Thank you!
Such a great recipe! I couldn’t feed my 9 m old fast enough. He loved it!
Oh my goodness, you sounded like you described my 13 month old daughter! EXACTLY the same. She loooooves to eat, but she also loves to play. Thanks for the recipe suggestion. I have red lentils I bought a while back and didn’t know what to do with them. I do now!