Pasta Bolognese

A cozy take on the classic Italian sauce, made lighter and gentler for toddlers. Carrot and broccoli are cooked down with organic beef, hand-crushed plum tomatoes, and a touch of shoyu koji for natural umami. It’s hearty, veggie-packed, and perfect tossed with little pasta shapes like fusilli or penne.

Ingredients:
Makes around ~3 toddler meals

• 200 g organic minced beef

• ½ medium onion, finely diced

• ½ medium carrot (or 1 small carrot), finely grated

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 4-5 small broccoli florets (~40 g), finely chopped

• 1 × 400 g can whole plum tomatoes, crushed by hand

• 1 tsp tomato paste

• 50 ml low-sodium chicken broth (or water)

• 3 tsp shoyu koji

• 1 tsp mirin

• ½ tsp dried oregano

• Avocado oil spray (or 1 tsp avocado oil)

• 1 bay leaf (optional)

Note: I usually just blend all the veggies, onion, garlic, and oregano in my Beaba blender altogether.

Instructions:

1. Spray pan with avocado oil. Add onion, carrot, garlic, broccoli, and oregano. Cook until softened.

2. Stir in tomato paste and cook briefly to caramelize.

3. Turn up heat, add minced beef, and cook until no longer pink.

4. Add mirin, stir, then crush in whole plum tomatoes with juice.

5. Add chicken broth + bay leaf. Simmer covered, on low 20–25 min until thickened.

6. Stir in shoyu koji during the last 5 min. Remove bay leaf.

Notes:

• Consistency: Sauce should coat a spoon but not be watery. If too thick, add a splash more broth.

• Pasta pairing: Short shapes like macaroni, fusilli, or mini shells hold sauce well for toddlers. Cook pasta slightly under (al dente) before freezing.

• Freezer tip: Freeze sauce and pasta together for convenience, or sauce alone if you prefer fresher pasta when reheating.