Tomato Beef with Pasta and Beans for Toddlers & Kids

Delicious and nutritious kid’s meal that is perfect for a hot lunch or dinner on-the-go. A great way to introduce beans to your little one.

Tomato Beef with Pasta and Beans

Feeding a toddler on a busy day can present many challenges. It is tempting to turn to the convenience of pre-packaged toddler foods even though fresh and homemade foods are more nutritions. 

Fortunately, there are ways to prep toddler meals ahead of time that are simple to prepare, delicious and easy to freeze for future convenience. 

I created the recipe for Tomato Beef with Pasta and Beans because I wanted a convenient and nutritious all-in-one meal for busy days. It’s a great way to introduce beans into toddler’s diet, even for picky eaters. Here’s why I love it:

• Convenient: This recipe is easy to pack in a thermos, not too runny so babies can self feed, and simple to prepare in bulk and freeze.
• Nutritious: It contains multiple food groups: legumes, meat, carbs, vegetables.
• Delicious
• Adds Variety: Beans aren’t in a lot of recipes for toddlers but they are a wonderful ingredient to add to your baby’s diet. 

When Can Babies Have Beans?

Beans might not a food you immediately think of for toddlers. However they are a great addition to your baby’s diet. They can be introduced, along with other solids, as soon as your baby is six months old. Remember, that breastmilk or formula should remain the main source of nutrition for babies until they are 12 months old. The introduction of solids is to give their diet variety and help them begin the transition to normal table foods. 

There are many varieties of beans, which are part of the legume family. Some good choices for babies and toddlers include: 

• Black beans
• Pinto beans
• Great Northern beans
• Navy Beans
• Kidney Beans

Canned beans have a lot of sodium in them, so using dry beans in this recipe is a better choice for babies. Dry beans are inexpensive and simple to prepare, especially if you have a pressure cooker like an Instant Pot. 

How to prepare dry beans: 

1. Pour beans into a colander. Remove any small stones, debris or misshapen beans. Rinse remaining beans with cold water. 
2. Put beans into a large bowl and cover with at least two inches of water. Allow to soak for 8-10 hours.
3. Cook beans as directed on packaging (this can range from 45 minutes to 2 ½ hours). 

How to prepare dry beans in an Instant Pot (no pre-soaking needed):  

1. Pour beans into a colander. Remove any small stones, debris or misshapen beans. Rinse remaining beans with cold water. 
2. Add dried beans and water to your Instant Pot. For every one cup of dried beans, add 8 cups of water to your instant pot. 

3. Cook on high pressure setting for 25 minutes (pinto beans), 30 minutes (black and navy beans), 35 minutes (kidney and great northern beans). Let pressure release naturally for at least 20 minutes before doing a quick release. 
4. Add a splash of apple cider vinegar and stir (this makes the beans easier to digest). 
5. This will make 6 cups of cooked beans, about the equivalent of 3 cans. Extras can be stored in the freezer for future meals. Add some of the cooking liquid to the bags before storing.   
6. Cooked beans can be served whole, mashed or made into a puree. 

Are Beans Healthy for Babies?

Beans are an amazing source of fiber and other nutrients. Fiber keeps babies from getting constipated and also helps them absorb other nutrients more easily. Legumes like beans also have other important nutrients including calcium, folate, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc. 

Besides being healthy, beans are an ideal food for babies and toddlers because of their texture: they are soft enough to chew yet firm enough to pick up. In this recipe we make a mash, but you could also serve them whole for more fine motor development. Make sure baby is used to eating mixed texture foods before serving a whole bean to baby.

An important note: too many beans can cause diarrhea and/or gas. When you first introduce beans to your baby, do it in a small amount (like a tablespoon). If your baby does well with a small amount, you can increase their serving size of beans. Be on the lookout for any signs of discomfort. 

Ingredients for Tomato Beef with Pasta and Beans

I wanted to choose ingredients for Tomato Beef with Pasta and Beans that are common and easy to find. They include: 

• Tomatoes: When cooked, tomatoes are full of lycopene, an antioxidant that helps reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. 
• Sweet bell peppers: Bell peppers contain vitamins A, C, fiber, potassium and folic acid. Red peppers have the most nutrients because they’ve been on the vine the longest.
• Onions: Not only do onions provide flavor, they are also a great source of potassium and antioxidants that help support a healthy immune system. 
• Garlic: Another great source of flavor in this recipe, garlic also has many health benefits and has nutrients including Vitamins B6 and C, Selenium, Fiber and Manganese.
• Celery: This vegetable provides texture and mild crunch to this recipe. Celery is nutrient rich and has anti-inflammatory properties that help regulate digestion. 
• Beef (optional): Meat is known for adding protein to your diet  Animal derived meat is also the only good dietary source of Vitamin B12. B12 is a nutrient that is vital to blood formation and brain and nervous system health. Beef can be omitted from this recipe for those on a plant based diet and subbed with another plant based protein of your choice like Tofu. 
• Peas: This legume is ideal for little fingers and has a lot more protein than most veggies.
• Kidney beans or other beans: Beans add proteins and nutrients to this meal. When they are cooked, they are the ideal texture for babies and toddlers.  
• Cheese: (can subtitute with vegan cheese): Besides being a kid favorite, cheese adds protein, fat and calcium.
• Pasta: The star carbohydrate of this recipe, pasta supplies folic acid and helps keep your baby full. Whole wheat pasta will have the most nutrients. Look for easy to pick up pastas like mini wheels, penne or gemelli. You could also substitute rice, quinoa or small chunks of cooked squash. 

Step By Step

How to Serve to Baby

Tomato Beef with Pasta and Beans is an ideal meal for babies and toddlers because it has every element of a healthy meal (protein, veggies and carbohydrates) packed into one dish. 

This meal travels well in a thermos so you have something delicious and warm to serve your baby when you are out and about. If we are leaving for the day but will be back for dinner I’ll put the prepared Tomato Beef with Pasta and Beans in a thermos on the counter. After we wash our hands and get settled in from our day, I can serve it straight from the thermos so that we have a warm, ready-to-eat meal. 

Besides portability, another thing that makes this Tomato Beef with Pasta and Beans ideal for toddlers is the texture. It is fairly chunky so older babies can easily self feed. If you have a baby just starting to self feed, this meal can spoon fed and served with big fettucini pasta on the side. 

This sauce is also good alone for use on or with any sort of carbohydrate your baby prefers (other pastas, quinoa, rice etc.). Another sauce your baby might like: Eggplant Sauce with Pork for Baby.

How to Store and Freeze

Tomato Beef with Pasta and Beans is a great meal to double or triple and freeze for later use. Make the recipe (excluding the pasta and cheese) and store in baby food storage containers. It will stay fresh in the fridge for 4-5 days and up to 1-2 months in the freezer.

How to Serve Method #1

On the day you plan to serve the dish, remove the container from the freezer and allow it to thaw in the fridge.  Cook up a portion of your baby’s favorite pasta, drain and rinse and add the thawed sauce and frozen peas to the pot. Once it starts to warm up, add in cooked beef, cooked beans and lastly, cheese, stir to combine. 

How to Serve Method #2

Place cooked pasta, frozen peas, cooked meat, cheese and tomato sauce in a heat-proof vessel, cover it with a heat-proof lid or aluminum foil. Place in a steamer and steam for 8-10 minutes. Alternatively, for a drier texture, bake it in the oven at 325F for 20-30 minutes.

Bibi loves to eat Tomato Beef Pasta with Beans and I feel good serving it to her. If you are looking for other healthy and delicious recipes for toddlers be sure to check out my Turkey and Veggie Meatballs, Vegetable Soup for Baby with Squash and Whole Wheat Banana Muffins.

Enjoy!
XOXO,
Mimi