Green lentils hold their shape more than red lentils, so cook them until fully tender and mash thoroughly with soft pumpkin and cooked rice. The rice needs careful cooling and storage; this is a spoon-fed bowl, not a finger food.
Rinse dry green lentils and simmer in fresh water according to their packet until completely tender; allow extra time if they remain firm. Drain excess liquid if necessary.
Steam peeled, deseeded pumpkin until it crushes easily with a fork. Use freshly cooked soft rice, or rice previously cooled quickly and stored safely.
Mash or blend cooked lentils, pumpkin and rice until moist and spoonable, with no firm whole lentils or sticky rice clumps. Stir in olive oil and cool before serving.
Mash fully cooked green lentils well so no firm round lentils remain. Keep pumpkin and rice soft and moist; adjust the texture gradually to your baby's feeding skills.
This recipe is listed for 8–12 months, so the 6m+ field does not recommend serving it earlier. Within the listed age range and when your baby can manage the texture, blend to smooth consistency.
Soft, moist spoon-fed lentil and rice mash with tender pumpkin; no firm whole lentils or rice clumps.
Lentils are legumes and may trigger allergic reactions in some children. The other plain listed ingredients do not intentionally introduce major allergens; check any additions.
Cool within 1 hour and refrigerate or freeze promptly. If refrigerated, use within 24 hours because the recipe contains cooked rice. Reheat only once until steaming hot throughout, then cool before serving.
Cool within 1 hour and refrigerate or freeze promptly. If refrigerated, use within 24 hours because the recipe contains cooked rice. Reheat only once until steaming hot throughout, then cool before serving.
This guide is informed by current guidelines from leading health organizations:
