Level 5 · Minced & Moist: soft, moist food with tiny pieces (no bigger than 4 mm, about the gap between fork prongs), held together in a thick sauce. Very little chewing needed. What do the levels mean?
Serves: 2 · Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients: Lean ground beef, mashed potato, brown gravy, eggs, a little milk.
Steps
Brown 8 oz ground beef in a pan, breaking it into very fine crumbles. Add 3/4 cup gravy and simmer 5 minutes so the meat softens.
Make smooth, moist mashed potato with milk and butter.
Soft-scramble 2 eggs with a splash of milk until just set, then chop finely.
Serve the beef and gravy over the potato with the egg on top. Add gravy if it looks dry.
Check the texture: press with a fork and the pieces separate easily and pass between the prongs. It slides off a tilted spoon with no thin liquid pooling on the plate.
Use the food level recommended by your speech-language pathologist or doctor. Textures change with cooking time, cooling and reheating, so check the food each time before serving, using the simple fork and spoon tests in our swallowing guide. Sit upright to eat, take small bites, and stay upright for 30 minutes after.