Recipes using baby food meat

Basic Beef Baby Food Puree (6+ Months)

This homemade Basic Beef Baby Food is a great addition to your baby’s favorite purees for extra protein and flavor! It’s an incredibly simple recipe with big flavor and nutrition! It’s perfect as a Stage One Baby Food – 4-6+ months.

Medically reviewed and co-written by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).

Beef Baby Food

Beef, it’s what’s for baby’s dinner! Beef puree, that is. 😉

This beef puree is loaded with so many great nutrients that your baby needs in order to thrive – protein, iron, calcium and folate.

And while it may seem counter-intuitive and perhaps weird (or at least it did to me), beef puree 🥩 is a great first food for your baby.

Just because it’s a nutrient-dense puree doesn’t mean your baby needs bowls upon bowls of it. Since beef puree has a somewhat intense flavor, a few spoonfuls added to your baby’s favorite veggie or fruit puree should be enough.

Is it your first time making homemade baby food? If you answered yes, then I suggest you start this journey by reading my in-depth Guide on How to Make Homemade Baby Food. The detailed article goes over all the essential information such as the best cooking tools to have on hand, safe storage, knowing when your baby is ready for solids, introducing purees, making the best first foods for baby, and more! You can also check out my best-selling cookbook for even more information and recipes.

Beef Puree Video

Watch this video to see how easy it is to make your baby homemade Beef Puree!

Reasons to Love this Beef Puree

simple yet flavorful
packed with protein
great to add to any other fruit or veggie puree that baby loves
baby food for 4-6 months and up
stage 1 baby food
freezer-friendly
homemade

Ingredients

Make sure to read the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions!

Beef: Since beef is the star of the show in this puree, we are going to start with a good piece of meat. We are going to use 8oz of chuck stew meat or cubed sirloin beef. You can also easily scale up this recipe if you want more than 12 ounces of baby food.
Broth: To get that rich, deep beef flavor, we will cook our beef in beef broth. I recommend using a low-sodium, sodium-free, or free-range beef bone broth for this recipe. You can also use any of those variations above with a vegetable broth as well. If you don’t have any of those on hand, you can use water.
Oregano: We are adding dried oregano to give the puree a little more complex taste. This can easily be omitted if you prefer or you can substitute in dried parsley, basil, rosemary, thyme or cilantro.

Grass-Fed Beef: I recommend using grass-fed beef for this recipe, if possible. Grass-fed beef will have more healthy fats, more free Omega-3 fatty acids (healthy fats), vitamins A, E, and B as well as more antioxidants.

Health Benefits of Beef

Protein: Beef is an excellent source of protein, which is essential for proper growth and development of all organ systems and maintaining and repairing tissues. It is considered a complete protein, meaning it has all of the amino acids that are needed to make protein.
Iron: Beef is a good source of iron, needed for making red blood cells, neurodevelopment and preventing iron deficiency anemia, and zinc, needed for growth and development and supporting the immune system.
B12: Beef is also high in B12, which is essential for brain development and healthy red blood cells.
Choline: can also be found in beef, which is also important for brain growth and development.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Boil: In a medium saucepan, bring the cubed beef, broth, and oregano to a boil over medium heat.
Simmer: Turn the heat down to low and cover the saucepan. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the beef is just cooked through. Let it cool slightly.
Puree: Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a blender or food processor and puree until you reach your desired consistency, adding broth in 1/4 cup increments if needed.
Eat: Serve to your baby plain or added into another puree.
Freeze: Store a small portion in the fridge and freeze the rest for another meal.

Tools Needed

These tools will make it a lot easier for you to make this healthy Beef Puree. For more of my favorite kitchen tools make sure to check out my shop.

Saucepans
Blender or Food Processor
Freezer Tray
Storage Containers for Fridge
Stasher Bag
bib with catch pocket
Saucepans

Frequently Asked Questions

When can baby eat beef puree?

Babies can have beef as one of their first foods. When a baby can start on solids is determined by their own rate of development, which generally comes between 4-6 months of age. Some of the developmental milestones babies need to reach in order to start solids include: if your baby has solid control of their head and neck, if your baby has doubled in weight, and if your baby is reaching for or opening their mouth when you eat (see my guide here). Before you start your baby on purees, you should consult with your pediatrician to make sure your child is developmentally ready.

Can beef be baby’s first food?
Yes, beef can 100% be baby’s first food if you want it to be. It is recommended to wait to introduce the top eight allergen foods to baby once a few other well tolerated foods have been introduced, but otherwise foods can be introduced in any order so choose whatever you are most excited for baby to have.

Is beef a common allergen for baby?
No, beef is not a common allergen, however, as with any food, start with a small portion and be aware of any signs that might be an allergic reaction after introducing it.

Does beef cause constipation for babies?
No, beef itself is not known to cause constipation in babies, however it won’t really help with constipation either since it lacks fiber. If baby is eating too much meat, it could replace fiber-rich foods, which could cause constipation.

How to Store Beef Puree

Refridgerator

You can store this puree in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Freezer

This puree can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Spoon puree into a freezer storage container. Do not overfill.
Place the lid on the storage container or cover with a piece of saran wrap, and label with the date and recipe name.
Place the tray into the freezer and let it freeze completely — preferably overnight.
Pop out the baby food cubes and place them in a ziplock baggie or stasher bag. Don’t forget to relabel the baggie or stasher bag for future reference.

Need more information on how to store your baby foods? Head over to my Best Baby Food Storage Containers – Plus 6 Tips on Freezing and Thawing post!

Label Tip: Don’t forget to label your purees before you place them in the fridge or freezer with the name of the puree and the date you made it. Take it from me; by the end of the week, you will completely forget what is in your freezer and how long it’s been there. 😉

Great Beef Combination Purees

While this beef baby food is great by itself, it can be a little intense for some babies. I recommend mixing it into one of your baby’s favorite purees as an introduction to the rich taste of beef. Here are some great purees to mix with the beef puree:

Apples
Sweet Potato
Pear
Carrot
Broccoli
Pea
Mango

PUREE FEEDING TIPS

Follow your baby’s lead – when feeding purees from a spoon, sometimes there’s a tendency to keep offering bites past the point of your baby being full. Always follow your baby’s cues for when they are done eating. Turning away from the spoon, closing her mouth, or pushing food away are all signs that your baby is finished with the meal.
Try adding a little seasoning or spice to purees – babies like flavor! Or consider changing the temperature of purees from time to time, to slightly warmed or slightly chilled. Varying these aspects adds to the sensory experience!
Throwing spoons is a common phase that all babies go through at one point or another. One of the best ways to handle spoon throwing is to ignore it and keep feeding your baby as usual (with an extra spoon you already have at the table). If your baby ends up also throwing back up spoons #2 AND #3, simply encourage your baby to eat with their hands until they appear to be finished with the meal. ***Give baby plenty of opportunities to practice putting items in and taking items out of containers outside of mealtimes.

Recipe Tips

Use a Slotted Spoon: When transferring the cooked beef from the saucepan to the blender, make sure to use a slotted spoon so you don’t add too much broth into the puree from the start. You only want to add broth if needed while blending. I had to add a 1/4 cup of broth to the blender while I was pureeing this beef.
Reheat Gently: If you are freezing some of this beef puree, reheat it in 20-second intervals. You don’t want to recook the beef.

Recipe

8 ounce beef chuck stew meat, or cubed sirloin beef
2 cups beef or vegetable broth, low or no sodium
1 tsp dried oregano

Boil: In a medium saucepan, bring beef, broth and oregano to a boil over medium heat. Turn to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until beef is cooked all the way through. Let cool slightly.
Transfer: Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a blender or food processor, reserve broth.
Puree: starting on low and working your way up to high-speed, puree the beef until you reach your desired consistency, adding in broth in 1/4 cup increments if needed. I had to add in just 1/4 cup of broth to get the consistency seen in this photo.
Eat: serve to baby plain or added into another puree.
Freeze: store a small portion in the fridge and freeze the rest for another meal.

Age: 4-6 months and up

Yield: 12 ounces

Storage: Fridge – store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.

Saucepan

Blender

Bumkins Baby Bowl

Freezer Tray

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Ways to use leftover baby food

Published on July 24, 2017Last Modified: March 18, 2021 By Kathryn Doherty

Tons of ideas and recipes for ways to use leftover baby food, plus tips on how to store leftover baby food safely.

We are just back from a long weekend in Florida, a family reunion with my husband's side of the family, and we had SO much fun! Lots of beach time, family time, play time, and tons of great food!

But whew, I'm worn out and feel like my house is half upside-down. We got home late yesterday afternoon, I immediately went to the grocery store to stock us up, made some overnight oatmeal jars to have on hand for the week, made dinner, caught up on some emails and then settled in for Game of Thrones.

I'm back at work today but feel like I need another day to get us back on track. Isn't that always the case after being away? Ah well, we'll just figure out as we go this week. The laundry isn't going anywhere 😉

But I'm so excited to bring you today's post about ways to use leftover baby food! It's something I've been meaning to post about ever since I started my homemade baby food series a couple of years ago (lots of which I revamped earlier this year).

Let’s start with a quick Q&A with some common questions on how to use leftover baby food:

Can I reuse leftover baby food? Yes, if it’s not contaminated. If you’ve put a spoon in the jar or container that was in your baby’s mouth, you need to throw it out. (The germs from your baby’s mouth can turn the baby food bad.) But if it’s unopened or unused or untouched, it can be reused.

Can I store leftover baby food? Yes! If you have an open jar or container that wasn’t contaminated (see above), you can refrigerate it for 3-5 days or freeze it for up to 4-6 months.

How do I store leftover baby food? It’s best to store homemade baby food in small containers with a tight seal. This allows you to portion out just a bit at a time to avoid wasting food. If freezing, you can use ice cube trays to make small cubes. Once they are frozen, transfer the cubes to a labeled freezer-safe bag.

Can you freeze leftover baby food? Yes! You can freeze leftover baby food for up to 4-6 months. Transfer it to an ice cube tray or small freezer-safe containers. And be sure to label it!

Things to do with leftover baby food jars — I never had any because I did all homemade baby food but I found some cute ideas here and here if you want to check them out.

So now that we’ve covered the basics, what are you gonna actually do with those extras once your sweet baby has moved beyond purees?

Well, I’ve got tons of ideas for you! I got creative because I had kept a freezer stocked with baby food (I had two BIG eaters) and I hate wasting food! So all those little cubes got repurposed into new dishes that my budding toddlers could eat themselves. 👍

So here are lots of ideas for you on using up leftover baby food!

(I’ve also got a free printable if you want to save this for later!)

Ways to use leftover baby food:

Transform any favorite combinations into homemade baby food pouches for on-the-go eating (and see 5 more baby food pouches for more ideas)
Mix fruit baby food into oatmeal, yogurt, cottage cheese and smoothies
Mix fruit purees into unsweetened applesauce for a new flavor
Add fruit purees into muffins
Use fruit purees as a spread for toast or a dip for crackers or cut fruit pieces
Add veggie purees to tomato or marinara sauce and mix it with pasta or use it to make pizzas (I still do this for my kids, who are ages 4 and 6)
Use vegetable purees to make sweet potato or squash or zucchini pancakes
Mix vegetable purees with brown rice to make rice balls or rice patties (perfect for dipping!)
Use vegetable purees in muffins
Use veggie purees to bind together casseroles and add some extra nutrition
Add extra vegetable purees to eggs for omelets, egg muffins or frittatas
Mix corn, carrot or squash purees into mashed potatoes or mac and cheese.
Stir vegetable purees into soups, stews or chili (all kinds of veggies can go here)
Add meat purees into chili, soups or stews
Use meat purees to make baby meatballs or baby hamburgers
Use baby food meat purees to make savory muffins with meat, veggies and cheese

See, there's tons of things you can do! And if you are looking for a little more guidance...

Here are a few specific recipes that use or could be adapted to use leftover baby food:

Berry beet smoothie with broccoli
Homemade applesauce: 5 fruit flavors
Spinach banana mini muffins
Almond butter zucchini muffins
Apple and butternut squash muffins
Butternut squash and kale mac and cheese
Veggie mac and cheese muffins
White turkey chili
Hobo stew

Be sure to check out this video, too, to see how easy it is to make some of these leftover baby food recipes! Press play 👇

I would love to hear if you have other ideas for using up leftover baby food! Please share them with me in the comments below!

XO,

Kathryn

P. S. Here's that one-pager free printable again!

More recipes you may enjoy

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Meat dishes for baby food: how to cook? Video

Tips for the hostess

Meat dishes for baby food

Photo: Shutterstock

How to choose and cook meat for a baby

cartilage, membranes, fat and tendons. Remember an important rule: it is not recommended to immediately purchase a large number of products for future use and feed them to a child for several weeks - it would be better if you can always cook dishes from fresh meat that has not been waiting in the freezer for too long.

Choose pork, white meat turkey and chicken, veal, lamb. They will make the most tender dishes. Remember that children love variety, rotate food when preparing meals

Take a small piece of meat, wash it thoroughly and then cut into cubes. Place the pieces in a pot of water and simmer for 20 minutes, skimming off any foam that forms. While the meat is cooking, boil the vegetables and pour the broth into a separate pan. After boiling the meat, transfer it to this broth and put on a slow fire. Keep in mind an important rule: young children should not be given tough meat, so after cooking in vegetable broth, you should get very soft pieces, even if it takes more time to cook than for adults. Put the meat in a blender, chop and mix together with the previously cooked vegetables. You will get a tender meat puree.

Minced meat dishes for children

If you want to prepare minced meat dishes for your child, follow an important rule: do not buy ready-made products, but always grind the meat yourself. Buy a tender, lean cut of turkey, chicken, pork, or lamb and grind it in a meat grinder. Then soak the pulp of white bread in milk and mix in a blender until smooth. You can also add a little onion and salt to the minced meat. However, remember the rule: the amount of additives in minced meat should not exceed 20% of the total minced meat.

Giving fried foods to young children is not recommended, so the best option is to make small patties and steam them. To do this, you can buy a double boiler, but if the purchase of such household appliances is not in your plans, you can simply fix gauze on a pot of water and put cutlets on it. Thanks to steaming, the products retain their beneficial properties, and at the same time, the dishes are very tender.

You can complement the menu with a liver dish. Stew the chicken liver over low heat, then finely chop and beat with a blender. Add a little butter and lightly salted vegetable broth to the dish and stir.

Anna Linnden

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Recipes with baby food - 10 answers

For dads and moms who are in awe of their children, nutrition is one of the main parental instincts, and it's great that advanced technology allows you to cook healthy and tasty with minimal time. For example, I often cook in the oven from ready-made Tyoma children's meat purees. I’m not a chef, to be honest, but I can watch Jamie Oliveira or Hell’s Kitchen with inspiration, flip through books about how French children don’t spit food, and even tried delivery of grocery sets with step-by-step recipes.

But most of the time we have simple, idle food on our table, which I try to give a little "raisin". If you have favorite recipes with baby food, please share))))

There are a few of our dinners in the picture.

In the summer they have become more satisfying, in the winter after dinner we go out after an hour and a half, and now they walk for another three hours, so calories are consumed, and at night we eat milk and pastries, or a sandwich with raspberry tea.

These are the foods I often cook:

Cutlets from children's puree - beef and oatmeal.

You will need:
50 gr. milk
½ can of mashed meat (I use Tema, but it's up to you)
½ carrots
¼ onions

3 tbsp. Spoons of oatmeal

½ egg

salt to taste
sometimes chopped parsley or dill

Preparation:
Grate onions and carrots, on a coarse grater, add oatmeal, meat puree, then add milk and beaten egg, mix. Then I put cutlets on a silicone pizza mold with a spoon (I get 3 things from these products), bake for 15 minutes at 180 degrees.

Potato casserole with meat.

I boil the potatoes, smash them into puree, add milk and an egg, then send them to a silicone mold in the same way, laying out: a layer of potatoes, a layer of meat) I bake for 10 minutes at 180 degrees.

Meat puree and semolina soufflé

You will need:

1 jar of any homogeneous baby meat puree

2 tbsp. spoons of semolina

4 tbsp. spoons of milk

1 egg

Preparation:

I mixed the puree with semolina, poured in milk, beat the egg and added it in the same way, mixed everything, leave it to infuse for 15-20 minutes, then pour it into silicone molds I can add broccoli or cauliflower for baking (after boiling it), and you can add whatever your heart desires) we just now have our cabbage ripened, before that I added a piece of carrot.

Pate with vegetables.

You will need:

Bank of meat puree with an offal
½ bulb

½ zucchini

½ egg 9000 Preparation:

Cut carrots and zucchini into pieces, grated onions, add vegetables to canned meat, add salt to your taste, add olive oil and also on a silicone mold and put in the oven for 10-15 minutes.