ABC Soup (Alphabet Pasta Soup)
ABCスープ
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
ABC Soup is a gentle, clear vegetable soup that is a favorite on Japanese preschool lunch menus. Bacon, onion, carrot, potato and cabbage simmer together in a light consommé broth, and the tiny alphabet pasta turns the bowl into a game: children fish out the letters of their own name while they eat. The vegetables are sautéed slowly over low heat first, which keeps the broth clear and brings out their sweetness without any heavy seasoning.
Toddlers to adults. The whole family can eat this exactly as written.
Added. Open the recipe helper (bottom right) → ☰ Menu → 🛒 Shopping list to see the ingredients for your family size.
Printing uses the number of adults and children set under Ingredients, so set those first.
Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
- 10.5 gbacon
- 30 gonion
- 15 gcarrot
- 36 gpotato
- 30 gcabbage
- 10.5 galphabet pasta
- 3 gvegetable oil
- 225 mlwater
- 1.8 gconsommé bouillon (granules or cube)Japanese-style Western soup stock powder or cubes, similar to chicken or vegetable bouillon. Substitute: Chicken or vegetable bouillon granules or a bouillon cube.
- 0.5 gsalt
- to tastepepper
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- consommé bouillon (granules or cube) (コンソメ)
- Japanese-style Western soup stock powder or cubes, similar to chicken or vegetable bouillon. Substitute: Chicken or vegetable bouillon granules or a bouillon cube.
Directions
Video is in Japanese — the steps below are synced to it, so tap ▶ on a step to jump to that moment.
- 1
Thinly slice the onion, cut the carrot into quarter-rounds, the potato into 2 cm cubes, and the cabbage into 2 cm squares. Cut the bacon into 1 cm strips.
- 2
Heat the oil in a pot, add the onion, carrot and bacon, and sauté over low heat for about 3 minutes. Add the potato and cabbage and sauté over low heat for about 2 minutes more. (Sautéing gently over low heat so nothing browns gives you a clear soup.)
- 3
Add the water and consommé and simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes. Add the alphabet pasta and simmer for about 10 minutes, then season with salt and pepper. (Cooking the pasta a little longer than the package time makes it plump up and stand out in the soup.)
Tips for Making It Well
- With alphabet pasta, children have fun looking for the letters of their name or their favorite letters while they eat.
- The pasta soaks up the broth as it sits, so it is best to add it and cook it just before serving. If you are making the soup ahead, store it before adding the pasta.
Freezing Instructions
Remove the potato, since its texture changes when frozen. Before adding the pasta, let the soup cool, then divide it into single portions in freezer bags and freeze. To serve, reheat in the microwave and add freshly cooked alphabet pasta.
Keeps for about 2 weeks (but eat it as soon as you can).
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 136.5 kcal | 273 kcal | 136.5 kcal |
| Protein | 4.5 g | 9 g | 4.5 g |
| Fat | 5.4 g | 10.8 g | 5.4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 20.7 g | 41.4 g | 20.7 g |
| Fiber | 5.3 g | 10.5 g | 5.3 g |
| Salt equivalent | 1.5 g | 3 g | 1.5 g |
| Calcium | 27 mg | 54 mg | 27 mg |
| Iron | 0.6 mg | 1.2 mg | 0.6 mg |
| Potassium | 349.5 mg | 699 mg | 349.5 mg |
| Phosphorus | 75 mg | 150 mg | 75 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | Phosphorus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 136.5 kcal | 4.5 g | 5.4 g | 20.7 g | 5.3 g | 1.5 g | 27 mg | 0.6 mg | 349.5 mg | 75 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 273 kcal | 9 g | 10.8 g | 41.4 g | 10.5 g | 3 g | 54 mg | 1.2 mg | 699 mg | 150 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
Cooking for bigger kids? See the elementary-school portion of this recipe.
