What can a child cook from minced meat and at what age?

At the peak of the popularity of vegetarianism and veganism, pediatricians pay special attention to the issue of meat dishes in a child’s diet.

They emphasize that parents’ dietary preferences should not deprive the children’s menu of the crumbs of meat that are so important for full physical development.

Meat contains iron, which plays an important role in hematopoiesis, and is also a source of protein and amino acids essential for the child’s body, which contribute to the normal growth and development of the baby. That is why it is important to include meat dishes in your baby’s diet that will provide him with energy and essential nutrients.

It is important to remember that the best choice for a children's menu will be lean types of meat. In particular, at the stage of introducing the baby to adult food, it is recommended to choose veal, beef, rabbit or poultry meat. But pork, duck and lamb should be excluded from children's diets until an older age.

We have collected 10 recipes for meat dishes for babies from 12-18 months. Among them are healthy, tasty and easy-to-prepare children's dishes made from lean meat, which will be the first step for your little one on the path to variety in the adult table.

Which minced meat dishes are suitable for feeding children over 1 year old?

When choosing meat for subsequent processing and presentation of food, it is recommended to give preference to low-fat types of product.

The list of the most popular treats for babies over 1 year old includes the following dishes:

• cutlets (steam) - small flatbreads made from chicken/beef/pork/fish, vegetables or mixed meat;
• meat zrazy with rice - oblong products made from minced meat with filling;
• meatballs, meatballs - food made from minced meat/fish in the form of small balls;
• various types of casseroles - oven-baked food made from minced meat with the addition of potatoes and additional ingredients;
• soufflé is a very tender, juicy and soft dish prepared from meat mass, sour cream sauce, cereal porridge, and other combined and thoroughly beaten ingredients.

When choosing ingredients for minced meat, you should keep in mind that it may only contain chilled/steamed meat. It is not recommended to use a frozen product, as it is problematic to control its quality and compliance with the shelf life.

Beef

It is with this type of meat that a baby’s complementary feeding most often begins, and this is done not only because of the availability of this product, but also due to the fact that beef contains a lot of iron. In addition, this product contains a lot of valuable protein, essential amino acids and vitamins.

The product is 75-80% absorbed by the body, and if it is veal, then 85-90%. To prepare baby puree, it is recommended to use tenderloin; it contains only 2.8% fat.

How to cook minced meat, features

To process meat you will need a food processor. In this case, you need to keep in mind the fact that if you use a mesh with large holes (5–8 mm) in the nozzle, the minced meat will acquire the properties of a chopped product. The use of the same part of the electrical appliance with a fine grid (2–3 mm), especially when double chopping the meat mass, will make the finished dish as tender as possible.

Once the child reaches the age of 1–1.5 years, the minced meat can be seasoned with a small amount of spices, a little onion and fresh herbs can be added. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the compatibility of meat and accompanying components.

Pork and beef

The best parts of an animal carcass for obtaining high-quality minced meat are considered to be the pulp of beef shoulder (this part of the meat will provide the product with juiciness) and pork neck (this component will make the minced mass especially tender).

Algorithm of actions:

1. In case of visible contamination, it is necessary to clean the meat with a knife - go over the blade on all sides of the pieces.
2. Remove all films and tendons from the beef, divide the product into strips suitable for processing with a home processor.
3. Trim the finest parts of the pork neck with the minimum amount of fat. For minced meat, you will need to use trimmings with fatty fragments.
4. Before processing meat, the attachment and all parts of this part of the combine should be doused with boiling water to prevent microbes that may be on the removable element of the device from entering the product.
5. Grind the prepared pieces of beef and pork, alternating both types of meat. If the food is intended for a child from 1 to 2 years old, you need to process the minced meat twice with a meat grinder.

As additional components, it is recommended to use finely grated onions (60 g), potatoes (70 g), 1 clove of garlic per 500 g of mixed meat product. Salt can be added to the food of a child from 1 year old in reasonable quantities, pepper - only after reaching the age of 5, garlic, basil, cinnamon or ginger - from 2 years.

Chicken

Minced meat dishes for children are often prepared from poultry meat, which contains a minimal amount of cholesterol, is a dietary product with a low fat content, and is easier to digest and process by the growing body.

Step-by-step preparation method:

1. Remove skin and excess fat from the chicken fillet and divide the layers into small pieces.
2. Soak the bread crumb in milk (for 1 kg of meat, take no more than 100 g of cut slices without crusts).

3. Pass the meat along with a small onion and the squeezed part of the bun through a fine grinder. The vegetable can be chopped with a grater.
4. Add 2-3 fresh eggs into the resulting mass, season the mixture with spices, and mix everything well.

To obtain the most tender minced meat, it should be beaten after adding salt and left for about 15–20 minutes before use. in a refrigerator. You can add 1 tbsp to the cutlet composition. l. semolina, which will absorb liquid when swelling, will make the consistency of the product more uniform.

Turkey

The presented type of meat is dietary, hypoallergenic, low-calorie. The recommended part of the bird, suitable for decorating steamed/baked dishes, is turkey breast.

Step-by-step instructions for creating minced meat:

1. Free the fillet from cartilage and skin, cut the meat into small pieces.
2. Grind the product with a blender or in a home processor, the attachment of which has a grid with small holes.
3. As additional ingredients, it is recommended to include a small amount of spices in the recipe, as well as any vegetables you like - cabbage, potatoes, young zucchini, onions, sweet peppers, carrots.
4. The resulting mass must be beaten well and left for a short time.

Dry turkey meat can be made more juicy by adding soft cheese, butter, and sour cream to the minced meat. For a denser structure, the product can be supplemented with crumbled bread and eggs. Chopped apples or dried fruits will create an unusual taste of the dish.

Beef

The most suitable basis for preparing this type of minced meat is considered to be veal - intercostal part, neck flesh, sirloin.

Step-by-step cooking method:

1. Remove all films and tendons from the meat, divide the piece into small parts.

2. Pass the veal through a fine grinder.
3. At the same time as the meat, you need to chop slices of bread pre-soaked in milk and vegetables included in the recipe.
4. The resulting mass should be beaten several times, supplemented with a small amount of spices (rock salt, pepper), then knead thoroughly with your hands until a homogeneous texture is obtained.
5. The prepared minced meat should be left for about 15–20 minutes. in the refrigerator.

Adding finely grated vegetables such as onions, potatoes, zucchini, cream, butter, sour cream will help add juiciness to dry beef.

Fish

A nutritious and varied diet for children requires the mandatory inclusion of meat dishes from sea/river underwater inhabitants in the diet. This particular product is rich in vitamins, Omega-3 fatty acids, and other beneficial substances. It is recommended to use fillet as a base for minced meat.

Cooking algorithm:

1. Blot the washed layers of fish with paper napkins, conduct a thorough inspection of the layers to detect and remove the largest and smallest/thin bones.
2. Grind the processed product in a food processor along with an onion, potato tuber, carrot, and clove of garlic.
3. Add 1-2 eggs, spices, chopped herbs to the resulting mass, then mix the mixture thoroughly until smooth.

Children, as well as many adults, are not very fond of the fishy flavor of the dish, so experienced chefs recommend adding 1 tbsp to the prepared mixture. l. cottage cheese. The fermented milk product will not be externally noticeable in the food, but will have the expected effect - it will minimize the taste of the fish.

Benefit

• From lean pork, the child will receive healthy proteins, which contain all the amino acids children need for full growth.
• Pork meat is a source of all B vitamins. These compounds are important for the development of the nervous system, immune function, the prevention of anemia and other processes in the children's body.
• Among the minerals that pork is rich in are especially high in magnesium, potassium, copper and calcium. Thanks to this composition, eating pork meat has a positive effect on intellectual activity, heart function, bone health and hematopoiesis.
• Since pork meat contains quite a lot of iron, iodine, zinc and arachidonic acid, this product is useful for stress and stimulates regeneration processes.
• Among the fats that are present in pork, there is especially a lot of oleic and linoleic acids, which are important for the normal functioning of the child’s body and are part of cell membranes.
• Eating pork stimulates muscle growth, so this type of meat is recommended for children who attend sports clubs and experience significant physical activity.
• Pork dishes will help diversify the diet of a child with milk intolerance (it also provokes intolerance to beef), as well as with an allergy to chicken.

Recipe for cabbage rolls with minced meat, like in kindergarten

Minced meat dishes for children are often used in preschool menus to provide the body with the necessary energy value, as well as to achieve a balanced and rational diet.

Minced meat dishes for children - a recipe for making delicious cabbage rolls.

Preparation next.

What ingredients will you need?

The table shows the components needed to create cabbage rolls:

Step-by-step cooking process

Sequence of cooking steps:

1. Cut off all the cartilage, tendons and membranes from the beef, divide both pieces into small pieces, and chop the products twice in a home processor.
2. Place the resulting mass in a frying pan, add a little salt to the mixture, and fry it over medium heat in its own juice, stirring occasionally.
3. Rinse the rice thoroughly, boil the cereal in salted water until it becomes a crumbly porridge.

4. Peel the onion, chop it finely, sauté in butter until soft.
5. Place the browned vegetables and rice in the frying pan with the minced meat and mix the ingredients.
6. Chop the cabbage into thin and not very long strips, blanch the slices until half cooked in lightly salted boiling water, place the vegetable pieces on a sieve to remove moisture.
7. Melt the butter in a saucepan, sift the flour into the fat, and heat the mixture for 2-3 minutes.
8. Add tomato paste diluted in a small amount of drinking water to the minced meat, mix the contents of the container, simmer for approximately 35–40 minutes. closed.
9. In about 10 minutes. Before the end of this stage, add flour sautéed in oil into the meat mass, mix the lazy cabbage rolls well, after 2-3 minutes. finish cooking.

There is a second version of the kindergarten dish, in which you need to mince meat and cabbage, form round products, bake them in vegetable sauce.

What can I add?

To obtain a more satisfying and elegant dish, the recipe can be supplemented with cheese shavings, which should be sprinkled on the treat at the end of cooking.

Serving rules, decoration

Present the food in portion order, placing slices of chopped tomatoes on serving plates, garnishing the food with finely chopped herbs.

Lard for children: when to give it

The opinions of pediatricians regarding whether lard is suitable for children and whether it is beneficial for the child’s body are divided. Dr. Komarovsky says that your baby should eat as little plant-based fats as possible, as they increase cholesterol levels and put a strain on the digestive system.

Other experts are confident that the benefits of lard for children are obvious - it is an easily digestible product that ensures the child’s full mental and physical development.

When can you start giving lard to your baby?

1. Most doctors say that boiled animal food is best introduced into a child’s diet only after the child turns 2 years old.
2. It is strictly prohibited to give any kind of animal product to babies under one year old!
3. You can treat your baby to a salty piece only after reaching 3 years of age.
4. When a child turns 2 years old and begins to eat food from the common table, he is allowed to give the product in a minimum amount - no more than 10 g.
5. A child aged 2 years can enjoy a salty product no more than 1-2 times a week.
6. For the first feeding, it is best to treat your baby to a piece of boiled food - it has a delicate, mild taste.
7. If the child does not like its taste, a small slice can be melted, then added to porridge, vegetable puree, boiled potatoes or stew.
8. Children are recommended to eat environmentally friendly, natural meat and lard from their own farm or purchased from reliable, trusted sellers.

If the baby really loves lard, parents need to take care of the child’s sufficient physical activity. This will help avoid weight problems.

Meatballs

This food can be prepared from poultry meat, but traditionally mixed pork and beef mince is used as a basis, which best retains the shape of the product and ensures the taste of the food.

Preparation next.

What ingredients will you need?

To create the dish you will need:

• sunflower oil - 35–40 ml;
• egg - 1 pc.;
• rice - 100 g;
• tomato paste - 30 g;
• minced pork and beef - 500 g;
• premium flour - 100 g;
• onion - 1 pc.;
• homemade sour cream - 50 g;
• coarse salt - optional.

Step-by-step cooking process

Sequence of cooking steps:

1. Boil the processed rice in salted filtered water (ratio 1:2) until soft and crumbly, then rinse the cereal in a colander.
2. Finely grate the onion, add the resulting pulp to the twisted meat, add an egg, add fluffy rice, add a little salt, not forgetting that the spice is contained in tomato paste.
3. Knead the meat mass thoroughly, form small balls from it, weighing approximately 50 g each.

4. Roll the products in flour, fry in a frying pan preheated with oil until a circular crust is obtained.
5. Dilute the tomato paste in 120 ml of drinking water, pour the mixture into the container with the meatballs, and simmer for about 10 minutes. in a sealed container.
6. Place the sour cream in a glass with filtered water, add the sifted flour, stir with a whisk until the lumps disappear, add the filling to the meatballs.

Continue cooking for another 5–7 minutes. under the lid.

Serving rules, decoration

Dishes prepared from minced meat for later feeding to children are recommended to be served slightly cooled. Place the meatballs in portions on plates and pour over the aromatic sauce. You can use mashed potatoes or stewed vegetables as a side dish.

Baked pork in a baking sleeve

It is something!!! I'm absolutely delighted!!! I bring to your attention the most tender pork meat, which is incredibly easy to prepare, and you will need a minimum of utensils, because the oven will do everything for you! The meat will be 100% tender! I never thought that I could cook such juicy meat myself.

Of course, there are many recipes for baked pork on our website, I looked through them and didn’t find any!

Pork Salt Black pepper Spices Garlic Water Bay leaf

Fish cutlets

It is recommended to periodically introduce this dish into a child’s menu using boneless fish meat.

Preparation next.

What ingredients will you need?

To prepare the food you will need:

• butter - 40 g;
• whole milk - 400 g;
• white bread - 300 g;
• eggs - 2 pcs.;
• semolina - 2 tbsp. l.;
• minced fish from hake fillet - 1 kg;
• premium flour - 240 g;
• breadcrumbs - 100 g;
• filtered water - 400 ml;
• table salt - according to preference.

Step-by-step cooking process

Sequence of cooking steps:

1. Soak in milk for 2–5 minutes. slices of white bread, then squeeze it out and combine with homemade minced fish.
2. Add eggs and semolina and a little salt to the mixture.
3. Knead the resulting mass well, beat it several times, and let the product sit for about 10–15 minutes. in a refrigerator.
4. Form small cutlets from the minced meat, bread them with breadcrumbs, place them on the steamer rack, and place the products in the unit for about 25 minutes.

You can cook cutlets for children over 1 year old on a baking sheet in an oven or in a steam bath.

Serving rules, decoration

Minced meat dishes for children should be served slightly cooled along with the desired side dish - stewed vegetables, cereal porridge, mashed potatoes with creamy sauce.

Snack "Penechki"

A beautiful and very tasty appetizer will decorate your New Year's table and delight your guests!

Pork Mushrooms Chicken egg Onion Wheat flour Breadcrumbs Vegetable oil Herbs Salt Black pepper

Meat hedgehogs

No child will ignore this unusually decorated dish, the finished dish looks so attractive.

Preparation next.

What ingredients will you need?

To create food you will need:

• butter - 100 g;
• minced cutlet - 1 kg;
• whole milk - 400 ml;
• onion - 2 pcs.;
• eggs - 2 pcs.;
• long grain rice - 200 g;
• premium flour - 40 g;
• table salt - 4 g.

Step-by-step cooking process

Sequence of stages of creating a dish:

1. Cook the rice in salted water until the porridge becomes crumbly. It is necessary to use long-grain cereals, which in products will create the effect of needles protruding from the meat, like those of a forest animal.
2. Add soft cereal to the homemade minced meat prepared in advance, add chopped onion and a pinch of salt.
3. Knead the resulting mass well, form small balls the size of a walnut with wet hands, and place them in an oiled baking dish.

4. Leave the container for 15–20 minutes. into an oven heated to 190 °C to form a golden brown crust on future hedgehogs. And also decorated products can be fried in a frying pan.
5. Sift the flour into a saucepan, grind it with butter, lightly sauté the mixture with constant stirring until slightly dark in color.
6. Dilute the mixture with hot milk, season the food with a pinch of salt, continue the process while constantly working with a spatula until a thick sauce is obtained.

Pour the mixture into the browned meat balls, return the container to the oven for 10 minutes, and finish the process at maximum heat.

Serving rules, decoration

One child's portion usually includes 3 meatballs and a pre-prepared side dish. Place the treat on plates, pour milk sauce over the food, and sprinkle with chopped herbs.

How to make dietary pork: cooking methods for weight loss and dieting

Culinary experiments with pork can be quite varied - the meat is combined with many vegetables, marinades, herbs, etc. The most popular methods of cooking on a diet:

1. Baking. Pork cooked according to a dietary recipe in the oven has a golden crust and an appetizing aroma. However, fried meat negatively affects the liver and slows down the process of losing weight. For a diet, it is best to bake meat in foil and not use oil. This oven-baked pork will turn out to be truly dietary and tasty.
2. Frying in a frying pan. This option turns out to be very appetizing, but extremely undesirable on a diet. Naturally fatty meat absorbs vegetable oil, which is why the calorie content of the dish almost doubles! If you like your pork roasted, it is better to use a grill or a special non-stick frying pan. Also, do not over-fry the product, increasing the load on the liver.
3. In a slow cooker. This pork will cook quickly enough, retain its natural taste and will be useful for losing weight. The main condition is not to add oil. By activating the “Stew” mode, you can get the most juicy portion of your favorite meat.
4. For a couple. This cooking option will provide minimal calorie content to the dish. At the same time, the meat turns out tender and juicy in taste.
5. Cooking. Boiled pork, although low in calories, loses some of its taste during the cooking process and becomes tougher. This option can be used for a variety of soups and salads, combined with interesting side dishes, spices and dressings. Without such an addition, the taste of pork will be inferior compared to other processing options.

The most preferred way to process pork is steaming and braising (can be eaten almost every day in moderation). They reveal the natural taste of meat and do not harm the figure.

Important! For cooking, choose lean pieces of pork meat - without layers of fat. An ideal option for dietary dishes is young pork.

Be sure to check out: Diet cabbage salad: the best recipes Safe cleansing: flax seeds for weight loss Kefir on a diet: are alternatives possible Proper castling: how to replace high-calorie treats and allergenic foods on a diet

Potato casserole with minced meat

This recipe is especially popular when prepared at home, since the resulting treat is perfect for both children and anyone who adheres to the principles of dietary nutrition.

Preparation next.

What ingredients will you need?

To create food you will need:

• butter - 200 g;
• potatoes - 4–5 pcs.;
• quail eggs - 4 pcs.;
• onion - 2 pcs.;
• minced chicken - 400 g;
• filtered water - 400 ml;
• rock salt, pepper, herbs - to taste.

Step-by-step cooking process

Sequence of stages of creating a dish:

1. Peel the potatoes, divide the tubers into quarters, and boil the vegetables in slightly salted drinking water.
2. Drain the liquid from the product, grind them to a puree along with 150 g of butter.
3. Place minced chicken in a frying pan, add chopped onion, lightly salt and pepper the mixture, sauté in its own juice until cooked.
4. Grease the baking dish with oil, evenly place a layer of ½ the amount of puree, distribute the minced meat on top, and finish assembling the products with the remaining potatoes.

Treat the future casserole with well-beaten quail eggs, send the workpiece for 20-25 minutes. into an oven heated to 180°C. The prepared food should be cooled slightly before eating.

Serving rules, decoration

The food should be presented on portioned plates with slices of fresh vegetables.

Baked pork in honey sauce

This is such a successful version of baked meat that my husband only talks about it and asks me to make more. I think that says it all. The recipe for this dish was posted on the website in 2008 by user Elena 110 under the name “Baked Pork in Honey Sauce” and illustrated by me as part of the “Coloring Books” campaign.

miss

November 25, 2010

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Pork Garlic Soy sauce Honey Salt Black pepper Vegetable oil

Buckwheat with meat

A wonderful treat from Ukrainian cuisine can be prepared both in a frying pan and in the oven.

What ingredients will you need?

To prepare the dish you will need:

• drinking water - 600 ml;
• minced turkey meat - 200 g;
• tomato paste - 1 tsp;
• boiled buckwheat - 100 g;
• egg yolks - 2 pcs.;
• onions, carrots - 2 pcs.;
• table salt, clove of garlic - optional.

Step-by-step cooking process

Sequence of stages of creating a dish:

1. Peel the vegetables, finely grate the carrots, chop the onion into cubes.

2. Place the resulting mass in a thick-bottomed saucepan, add tomato paste, pour in purified water, mix everything well, and cook the mixture for 10 minutes. after the start of boiling.
3. Combine the turkey meat processed in a meat grinder with pre-boiled cereal and egg yolks, salt the mixture, and knead it thoroughly. Garlic should be used individually, depending on the age of the child and his attitude to the spice.
4. Form small round buckwheat cakes from the minced meat, one by one dipping them into the boiling gravy.

Continue the cooking process for approximately 15 minutes. depending on the size of the balls with periodic stirring.

Serving rules, decoration

It is recommended to present minced meat dishes for children in a particularly appetizing and attractive form. Portions of slightly cooled meat products should be placed on plates and generously poured with bright sauce.

Harm from pork

Some children develop allergies as a result of eating pork. This is one of the main reasons why you cannot start complementary meat feeding with such a product, and pork should be introduced into the children's menu with extreme caution.

Fatty pork especially often provokes an allergic reaction, so only lean parts are used for baby food.

It should also be remembered that fried pork dishes are contraindicated for children under at least 3 years of age . Barbecue and other excessively fatty dishes made from such meat should not be included in the menu of young children. Failure to follow these recommendations can lead to problems in the digestive tract and other ailments.

Chicken soufflé

This very easy-to-make, delicate-tasting dish with an elegant appearance is perfect for children and anyone who is “on a diet” and will be an excellent decoration for the holiday table.

Preparation next.

What ingredients will you need?

To prepare the food you will need:

• whole milk - 30 ml;
• soft cheese - 50 g;
• minced chicken - 400 g;
• white bread - ½ layer;
• eggs - 2 pcs.;
• potatoes - 1 pc.;
• table salt - according to preference.

Step-by-step cooking process

Step-by-step execution of the recipe:

1. Thoroughly beat the egg whites, separated from the yolks.
2. Soak the bread crumb in milk.
3. Grind the poultry fillets in a food processor using a fine rack.
4. Grate the peeled tuber, add it to the meat mixture, add cheese shavings, milk-squeezed bread, and egg yolks.
5. Salt the minced meat, knead it well, then carefully, in several additions, add the whipped whites, trying not to disturb their airiness.
6. For a particularly sumptuous treat, you need to combine all the ingredients in the minced meat, then beat the mass again with an immersion blender.
7. Line small silicone molds with foil, fill the containers with the prepared mixture, and place the preparations for 20–30 minutes. into an oven heated to 180–190 °C.

Hot products should be cooled slightly, then removed from the containers and the paper removed.

Serving rules, decoration

The presented treat goes well with boiled rice, vegetables, mashed potatoes, prepared in a variety of ways.

Milk sausage

I couldn't find such a recipe on the website. What can you say about this sausage? Delicious and very easy to prepare.

Chicken breast Pork Potato starch Juice Garlic Spices Milk

Useful tips and tricks

When choosing a dish for your child, you need to remember that it is not recommended to include fatty and fried foods in your baby’s diet.

To create the perfect minced meat, you should take into account the following culinary subtleties:

• The most delicious and healthy children's dishes are prepared on the basis of natural minced meat prepared at home. Store-bought semi-finished products are not suitable for baby food;
• the volume of additives used in minced meat (cereals, bread, onions, cream, potatoes) should not exceed 20% of the same indicator of the entire formed composition;
• the meat mass will become especially tender if the product is well beaten - scoop up portions in the palm of your hand and, with a little effort, throw them several times onto the table or into the bowl;
• if the minced chicken turns out to be a little dry, you can add a little tomato juice, zucchini pulp, finely grated potatoes, carrots or beets;
• to give minced veal more fluffy properties, you need to add a grated apple to it at the rate of 1 fruit per 500–600 g of meat;
• To create tasty and healthy baby food, it is advisable to have a double boiler. If there is none, you can use a simple life hack - attach 2 layers of gauze to a pan of water, place decorated products on it, for example, cutlets, and get a juicy and tender steamed dish.

Preparing a dish from minced meat requires attention and a certain amount of time, so it is recommended to prepare the basis of such a treat for children in advance, prepare it in portions, and store it in the freezer.

Rabbit

Protein-rich meat, which practically does not cause allergies, is absorbed by the body up to 95%. The protein content reaches 20-25%, with much less fat than beef.

Benefit

It is recommended to choose carcasses of young rabbits that have not reached 3-4 months, while the back of the rabbit carcass is used for baby food.

How long to cook

Rabbit meat is cooked in the same way as turkey, with a small exception - during cooking you can add root vegetables to it - onions and carrots, parsley or celery root to slightly reduce the “specific” aroma.