With four veggies, ample iron, and an easy method, this Baby Bolognese sauce is a delicious meal to share. It works as a baby food combination or tossed with pasta and topped with Parmesan cheese.
One of my favorite recipes to make when my kids were babies was a simple, yet nutrition-packed meat sauce. This Baby Bolognese is a simplified version of regular Bolognese, a tomato and meat sauce with extra veggies in the mix. It’s flavorful and is easy to serve off of a spoon or as a family meal tossed with pasta.
There are many ways to vary this recipe, too, if you want to change up the ingredients. And it’s a great freezer meal for families, as toddler meal prep, and as an iron-rich recipe for toddlers. A real win!
(You may also like these other nutrient-rich recipes for littles including Baby Pasta, Lentil Sauce for Pasta, Baby Muffins, and Turkey Sweet Potato Baby Meatballs.)
Table of Contents
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Ingredients You Need
Here’s a look at the ingredients you need to have on hand to make Baby Bolognese so you know what to pick up from the store or have ready.
- Olive oil: I mainly use extra virgin olive oil in my cooking, so that’s what I use here to saute the beef and vegetables. You can also use butter if you prefer.
- Garlic: Adding minced garlic, whether fresh or jarred, adds a nice base of flavor to this pasta sauce.
- Onion, carrot, celery: Using a traditional mirepoix in this recipe adds vegetables (and their nutrients) and also a lot of flavor. You can chop the vegetables yourself or look for precut mirepoix in the produce aisle or freezer aisle.
- Ground beef: I prefer to use iron-rich lean ground beef in my Baby Bolognese. If you prefer, you can also use ground turkey or chicken.
- Crushed tomatoes: Using a large can of crushed tomatoes ensures that the finished texture of the sauce is consistent and adds flavor and nutrients.
- Oregano: I prefer to add oregano to my sauce, though you could use Italian seasoning instead if you prefer.
- Heavy cream (optional): Using the classic style of Bolognese, you can add heavy cream at the end of cooking. You can omit this if you prefer or to make the recipe dairy-free.
- Pasta: You can serve this baby recipe off of a spoon, let a baby self-feed as a baby-led weaning food, or you can toss the whole recipe with a pound of pasta cooked according to package directions.
- Parmesan for serving.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a preview of how to make this Baby Bolognese so you know what to expect from the process. Scroll down to the end of this post for the full information, including the amounts and the timing.
Step 1. Add the garlic, onion, carrot, and celery to a warm skillet. Stir to coat with oil and cook until the vegetables are starting to soften.
Step 2. Add the beef and break it up with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring often, and continuing to break up the meat, until mostly browned and cooked through.
Step 3. Add the oregano, salt, and crushed tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and lower the heat to low. Simmer until the vegetables are completely softened into the sauce.
Step 4. Stir in the heavy cream if using. Serve sauce with pasta and Parmesan, if desired.
Frequently Asked Questions
This sauce cooks for a while, so the end texture is soft vegetables and meat crumbles. It is not super smooth, but since everything is soft, it is easy for baby to eat. You can puree it smooth if you prefer though.
Pasta for a baby should be cooked until very soft so that it is easy for baby to eat. For a baby food combination, I prefer smaller shapes such as pastina or orzo. For older babies eating with their fingers, elbows, rotini, or small shells are great. For babies eating baby-led weaning style foods, larger shapes like rigatoni are easier for them to hold with their hands.
Meat sauces like this one, iron-fortified baby food, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and more are favorite iron-rich foods for kids.
How to Store
Store leftover Baby Bolognese in an airtight container or in a freezer tray for future meals. It can be stored for 5 days in the fridge or up to 6 months in the freezer.
Best Tips for Success
- Use frozen or precut mirepoix and jarred minced garlic to remove most of the chopping and prep time from this recipe.
- Use lean ground beef or you can substitute in ground turkey if you prefer.
- To make this vegetarian, omit the beef and stir in 2 cups fully cooked and soft lentils.
- Serve to baby with a spoon or toss with pasta and serve as a finger food. (The entire family can enjoy this too!)
- Season adult portions with salt to taste. (You will definitely notice the lack of salt if you don’t add it to your portion!)
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear your feedback on this post, so please comment below to share!
Easy Baby Bolognese
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- ½ cup minced onion
- ½ cup minced carrot
- ½ cup minced celery
- 1 pound ground beef
- 24 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt to taste
- ¼ cup heavy cream (optional)
- 1 pound pasta (cooked according to package directions)
- Parmesan for serving
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large pot over medium heat on the stove.
- When warm, add the garlic, onion, carrot, and celery. Stir to coat with oil and cook for 4-6 minutes or until the vegetables are starting to soften.
- Add the beef and break it up with a wooden spoon. Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring often and continuing to break up the meat, until mostly browned and cooked through.
- Add the oregano, salt, and crushed tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and lower the heat to low. Add 1 cup water and stir in evenly.
- Cover, slightly askew to allow some steam to escape. Simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until the vegetables are completely softened into the sauce. If they are not fully soft at the end of that time or if the sauce starts to stick to the pan at all, add a little more water and continue.
- Stir in the heavy cream if using.
- Serve sauce with pasta and Parmesan, if desired.
Notes
- Store leftover Baby Bolognese in an airtight container or in a freezer tray for future meals. It can be stored for 5 days in the fridge or up to 6 months in the freezer.
- Use frozen or precut mirepoix and jarred minced garlic to remove most of the chopping and prep time from this recipe.
- Use lean ground beef or you can substitute in ground turkey if you prefer.
- To make this vegetarian, omit the beef and stir in 2 cups fully cooked and soft lentils.
- Serve to baby with a spoon or toss with pasta and serve as a finger food. (The entire family can enjoy this too!)
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