Weaning and legumes: recipes and suggestions for preparing them in the best possible way

If getting children to eat vegetables , broccoli or even meat  can sometimes be difficult, the task is a little easier when it comes to legume-based dishes.

For example, I’ve never struggled to get my daughter to eat beans, chickpeas and peas (both in the form of baby food and whole) while lentils were a little less to her taste, but I think it was just a matter of color. 🙂

What legumes to give

The most suitable legumes for children are also the best known ones, namely lentils, peas, chickpeas and beans. However, soy, broad beans, lupins, grass peas and peanuts should also be kept in mind, which can be important ingredients for many recipes for children.

Properties of legumes

Legumes are a very important food in children’s nutrition since weaning. In fact they are rich in vegetable proteins – more suitable, at least in the first year of age, than animal proteins – and for this reason they represent a valid alternative to meat, fish, eggs and milk. They are also rich in group B vitamins, iron, calcium and potassium, are a source of fiber and contain little fat.

How and when to start feeding legumes?

Always bearing in mind that weaning is a phase that must be modulated respecting the needs and times of each individual child, let’s say that legumes are normally introduced from 7-8 months onwards . It is preferable not to introduce them earlier because legumes are a food that small children find it a bit difficult to digest and are the cause of the formation of gas that causes the famous colic.

To learn more, here is a recommended reading →  self-weaning

The first legumes that are recommended to include are lentils , better if the peeled red ones and then also try various types of lentils. To start, just add a spoonful of them to the broth or baby food that the child is already used to, or reduce them to a puree and use them with a little oil as a sauce for pasta.
After the lentils, you can move on to introducing peas, then chickpeas, then the various types of beans (around 10 months), starting gradually as with lentils and then moving on to preparing delicious baby food, creams and velvety soups.

It is not recommended to offer children dishes with legumes and other protein foods. It is therefore better to avoid legumes and meat, legumes and eggs, legumes and cheese; while dishes based on legumes and cereals (pasta, rice, pre-cooked flour, rice cream) and vegetables are also excellent. Ok then rice and peas, lentil and small pasta cream, pasta and beans.

How to prepare legumes to give to children

When legumes are introduced during weaning, the question naturally arises: how do I prepare them? Pureed or blended, crushed or whole, with the peel or without? Let’s go step by step. Meanwhile let’s say that using dried legumes instead of fresh or frozen ones, they will have to be soaked for 12-24 hours by changing the water a couple of times. Alternatively, to shorten the time, you can use the pressure cooker.
However, if you want to know more about the legume soaking phase, I recommend this interesting read → How to soak legumes. 

Once cooked, the legumes must be passed through a vegetable mill. This allows you to eliminate the peel which is the non-digestible part of the legumes and therefore the cause of the formation of gas in the tummy. If, on the other hand, peeled legumes are used, they can easily be mashed with a fork.

Weaning and legumes: recipes for preparing baby food, creams and more

To get started, in addition to the preparation instructions, here are also some recipes with legumes that some mothers prepare for their babies during weaning and beyond.

Lentil cream with stars

Mamma Laura has prepared this tasty lentil cream with stars. It is so good that, by replacing the type of pasta and adding a little salt, it is also suitable for mum and dad.

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Pea soup

Cream soups are always excellent not only for children but also for adults. Here then is mamma Cinzia’s recipe for preparing a delicious pea soup (remember not to use salt).

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Pasta with beans

When you introduce the beans, remember this recipe from mum Giorgia. Do not use salt but flavor with Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

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Pappa with chickpea flour

If there isn’t time to soak the legumes, instead of falling into temptation and buying ready-made products, you can resort to a quick but genuine recipe. In fact, using chickpea flour (which can be easily found in all supermarkets or grocery stores), instead of dried chickpeas, you can quickly prepare a well-balanced and very good baby food.

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Legumes and cereals soup

As I told you, legumes are excellent combined with cereals; so here’s a quick soup to make with beans, potatoes and pearl barley.

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Chickpea patties

Chickpeas are suitable not only for preparing excellent baby food, but also for cooking other types of dishes suitable for children who already eat more solid things. For example, following mum Deborah’s recipe it is possible to prepare soft and tasty chickpea balls (this recipe is suitable if the egg has already been introduced ).

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Lentil sticks

Wanting to end with another solid dish (therefore suitable for a weaning that has already started), here is mum Natalia’s recipe for preparing delicious lentil sticks. According to her – and Natalia we can easily trust them – they are delicious not only for children but also for adults. They can be prepared not only in the lentil version, but also with borlotti beans, cannellini beans and chickpeas.

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Recommendation. What is written about legumes and their introduction into the child’s diet is valid as general information and not in the specific case. I remind you that it is always advisable to consult the pediatrician and follow his prescriptions regarding the introduction of foods and any foods that could pose an allergy risk for the child.