Consommé Soup with Kabocha and Napa Cabbage
コンソメスープ
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Consommé soup is a staple on Japanese school lunch menus: a clear, lightly seasoned broth made with bouillon and whatever vegetables are in season. This version pairs kabocha squash, which turns soft and naturally sweet as it simmers, with tender napa cabbage and a little bacon for savory depth. The kabocha is left with its skin on, so the pieces hold their shape in the pot, and everything is cut small enough for little spoons. Only a pinch of salt is added at the end, so the flavor stays gentle and the vegetables do the talking.
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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.
Ingredients
- 30 gkabocha squashSweet, dense Japanese pumpkin with dark green skin and orange flesh. Substitute: Butternut squash or another sweet winter squash.
- 45 gnapa cabbage
- 10.5 gbacon
Seasonings
- 180 gwater
- 0.8 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.
- 0.6 gsalt
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- kabocha squash (かぼちゃ)
- Sweet, dense Japanese pumpkin with dark green skin and orange flesh. Substitute: Butternut squash or another sweet winter squash.
- 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
- 1
Roughly chop the napa cabbage into 2 cm wide pieces. For the kabocha, peel away only any blemished or damaged spots on the skin, leave the rest of the skin on, and cut it into thin square slices.
- 2
Cut the bacon into 1 cm wide strips.
- 3
Put the water and consommé in a pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the vegetables from step 1 and the bacon from step 2 and simmer.
- 4
When the vegetables are tender, add the salt to adjust the seasoning.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 72 kcal | 144 kcal | 72 kcal |
| Protein | 2.4 g | 4.8 g | 2.4 g |
| Fat | 4.1 g | 8.1 g | 4.1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 7.1 g | 14.1 g | 7.1 g |
| Salt equivalent | 1 g | 2.1 g | 1 g |
| Calcium | 22.5 mg | 45 mg | 22.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.3 mg | 0.6 mg | 0.3 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 72 kcal | 2.4 g | 4.1 g | 7.1 g | 1 g | 22.5 mg | 0.3 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 144 kcal | 4.8 g | 8.1 g | 14.1 g | 2.1 g | 45 mg | 0.6 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.
