Red lentil + tomato pasta sauce (for fussy eaters) 🍅

If your little one is in their beige era (surviving off plain pasta and air), this one’s for you.

My 2 year old is going through a real fussy phase atm. Week night dinners are the hardest- I think because she’s just so tired at the end of the long day. Pasta is pretty much always a winner though. 

So I have wanted to make/test a high protein + iron, red lentil pasta sauce for ages and have finally done it!! It’s actually pretty good and we ate it ourselves and piled grated hard parmigiana cheese on top and loads of black pepper!

This sauce is smooth, and quietly carries a serious amount of goodness from the red lentils and hidden veggies. 

You can make in a big batch on a Sunday, and it works for the whole family, from weaning babies right up to the grown-ups. 

This recipe makes 1000mls (around 2 jars worth). Scale up or down as you like! 

Why red lentils are a selective eater's best friend

• Iron - red lentils are one of the better plant sources of iron, which is a nutrient I often see running low in children with a narrow diet. The tomatoes and red pepper in this sauce bring vitamin C, which helps the body absorb plant (non-haem) iron.

• Protein - handy for children who refuse meat, or who only accept it in one very specific form.

• Fibre - selective eaters often lean on beige, low-fibre foods, and constipation can then make appetite even worse. A little extra fibre goes a long way.

My tips for a sauce fussy eaters will actually eat

1. Blend it silky smooth. For a lot of selective eaters, texture is the deal-breaker, not flavour. One rogue bit of onion and the whole bowl is rejected. A stick blender is your best friend here. Leave out the red pepper initially if bits are a problem, as these don’t completely blend away with most blenders.

2. Stick with red lentils. Green and brown lentils hold their shape and change the colour. Red lentils vanish as they cook, so it still looks like "normal" pasta sauce.

3. Cook out the sharpness. Children are far more sensitive to sour and bitter tastes than we are, the long slow cook reduces the bitterness and brings out the sweetness. A small knob of butter at the end rounds off any acidity (an old chef's trick!)

4. Grate the carrot. It melts into the sauce and brings natural sweetness

5. Keep the pasta familiar. Serve it with their usual shape, from their usual bowl. Change one thing at a time.

6. Start small and on the side. A teaspoon of sauce next to a pile of plain pasta is a win. So is a little pot for dipping. No pressure, no bribes, no "just one bite".

7. Be honest if they ask. This is not about tricking anyone. If they ask what is in it, tell them, and keep it neutral: "It's tomato sauce with lentils and carrot, the one we made together." 

Red lentil + tomato pasta sauce

Makes about 1 litre, enough for 8 portions or plenty of little ones' portions for the freezer. 

YOU NEED

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 medium onion (about 150g), very finely chopped

• 1 medium carrot (about 100g), finely grated

• 1 red pepper (about 150g), deseeded and finely chopped, or 1 whole roasted red pepper from a jar (skip for a smoother texture)

• 3-4 garlic cloves, crushed

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 2 tbsp tomato purée

• 100g dried red lentils

• 400g tin finely chopped tomatoes or passata (passata gives a smoother texture)

• 250ml water or low-salt organic vegetable stock

• 1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

• 1 heaped tbsp unsalted butter

• A small handful of fresh basil leaves, if you have them

TO MAKE

1. Drizzle the olive oil into a large pan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion, carrot and fresh pepper (save jarred pepper for later). Season generously with ground black pepper and cook gently for 5-6 minutes.

2. Stir in the garlic, oregano and tomato purée and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

3. Tip in the lentils, tomatoes or passata, and water or stock. Bring to the boil, then turn down to a gentle simmer with the lid slightly ajar.

4. Simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the lentils have completely broken down. Add a splash more water if needed.

5. Take off the heat. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, butter, basil and pop in one whole jarred pepper now, if using.

6. Blend with a stick blender until completely smooth, or let it cool a little and use your blender. Season the grown-ups' portions with salt and pepper at the table.

7. Toss through hot pasta and top generously with grated hard cheese.

Ways to use it

One batch, a week of easy wins:

• Pasta night - for those chaotic evenings with little time 

• Pizza sauce - simmer a little longer until thick + spread onto some pitta or flatbread and grate a little cheese before toasting under the grill

• Dippy sauce - offer a little pot alongside toast fingers, flatbread dippers, chicken strips, fish fingers, roasted veggies or potato wedges.

• Bolognese booster - stir it through mince to stretch the meat and add some fibre.

• Lasagne or pasta bake - use it as the base for the tomato layer!

Storing and freezing

• Fridge - cool quickly, then keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

• Freezer - freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Ice cube trays are perfect for babies and toddlers, and a couple of cubes stirred through pasta makes a speedy lunch.

• It can thicken - lentils can keep soaking up liquid as the sauce sits, so loosen with a splash of water when you reheat.

Ages and allergens

• Babies from around 6 months - use water or low-salt, organic stock or homemade stock, and do not add salt. 

• Allergens to check - butter and parmesan contain milk.

• Dairy-free - leave out the butter and finish with an extra drizzle of olive oil to make it dairy free

• New to lentils? If your child is not used to much fibre, start with smaller portions and offer plenty of water alongside