andrejthechef
InternationalStewDinnerGluten-freeDairy-free

Beef and Vegetable Stew

Slowly cooked beef, shredded into small pieces, with tender carrots and potatoes. No added salt.

prep
20 min
cook
2 h 30 min
total
2 h 50 min
serves
6
level
medium
Beef and Vegetable Stew, a soft, toddler-friendly meal

This is a long, slow stew scaled down for a toddler plate: beef cooked until it shreds apart on its own, with carrots and potatoes cooked soft enough to need no chewing effort at all.

Shredding the beef, rather than serving it in chunks the way an adult stew would, is really the whole trick that makes this one safe and easy for small mouths.

If your little one is still earlier in the journey, start with our Baby's First Foods guide.

Part of our 40 toddler meal ideas list.

method

  1. Heat the oil in a large pot, and brown the beef chunks on all sides, about 5 minutes.

  2. Add the onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until softened.

  3. Stir in the tomato paste, then add the stock and bay leaf.

  4. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook on low heat for 2 to 2.5 hours, until the beef is very tender and falling apart.

  5. Add the carrots and potatoes, and simmer for another 25 to 30 minutes, until all the vegetables are completely soft.

  6. Remove the bay leaf. Shred the beef into small pieces with two forks, right in the pot, and mash a few of the potato pieces to thicken the sauce slightly.

  7. Let it cool to just warm before serving.

chef's tips

  • Shred the beef into small pieces rather than leaving it in chunks; this is the step that makes a normal beef stew safe and manageable for a toddler.
  • Use a low-sodium stock and a no-added-salt tomato paste, since most store-bought versions of both have more sodium than a toddler needs.
  • Dice the carrots and potatoes small, and cook them until genuinely soft all the way through, not just fork-tender for an adult.
  • This freezes very well in small portions, and the flavor only improves after a day in the fridge.