This easy and healthy Beef and Lentil Ragu is the perfect hearty recipe for the family that’s full of protein and fibre. It’s a great meal to batch cook and have on hand for busier days. I use this ragu to alternate with bolognese so that we can have variety each week. 

In this ragu, I have included half meat and half lentils - even if your child isn’t a fan of lentils, I promise they won’t notice the difference! Use this ragu as a base for lasagne or simply serve with pasta or rice. 

Tip: You can use your food processor or our Baby Food Chopper to chop the vegetables and cut down on prep time!

Makes: 4 x Adult Portions
Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
4 celery stalks, finely chopped
4 carrots, finely chopped
1 butternut squash, deseeded and finely chopped 
4 tbsp oregano
450g (16 oz) quality minced beef
450g (2 ⅓ cups) red lentils, rinsed 
680g (24 oz) tomato passata
2 x 400g (14 oz) tins chopped tomatoes
4 tbsp tomato purée
600ml (20 fl oz) low salt beef stock
2 bay leaves

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan. Add the chopped vegetables and oregano and sauté for about 7 minutes. 
2. Add the mince and cook until the mince is browned, about 10 minutes. 
3. Next add the passata, lentils, chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, stock and bay leaves. Bring to the boil, mix through, reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 30-45 minutes. 
4. Add more stock if needed to reach your desired consistency. Remove the bay leaves before serving. 
5. Serve straight away with pasta of your choice or portion and freeze in our portion pots and save for a rainy day!

For Baby:

6 Months+ - Chunky Puree: Blend the beef and lentil ragu sauce and offer to baby as a puree. 

6 Months+ - Finger Food: Add to pasta shapes like fusilli and offer to baby as finger food.

 At Mummy Cooks, we have a wealth of advice on feeding your family. We cover everything from meal prep and slow cooker recipes to moving baby on to family foods and preparing food safely. So whether you're looking for quick and easy meal ideas or want to learn more about healthy eating, we've got you covered - Feeding the Family Advice page