Kabocha Squash Soup
かぼちゃスープ
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
This is a simple, comforting soup built around kabocha, the sweet, dense Japanese pumpkin that children tend to love. The squash is simmered skin-on with onion and bacon until tender, then finished with milk for a soft, creamy broth without any blending or roux. Kabocha's natural sweetness means the soup needs very little seasoning, and the small chunks are easy for little ones to scoop up with a spoon.
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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.
- 10.5 gonion
- 6 gbacon
Seasonings
- 45 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.
- 105 gmilk
- 0.3 gsalt
- to tastepepper
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
Cut the kabocha squash, skin and all, into 1.5 cm cubes. Halve the onion lengthwise and cut it into thin slices. Cut the bacon into 1 cm strips.
- 2
Put the water, consommé bouillon, onion, and kabocha in a pot and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes. (If there is very little liquid, cover with a drop lid and steam-simmer.)
- 3
Add the bacon and simmer over low heat for about 5 more minutes.
- 4
Add the milk, salt, and pepper and simmer briefly.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 108 kcal | 216 kcal | 108 kcal |
| Protein | 5.1 g | 10.2 g | 5.1 g |
| Fat | 5.4 g | 10.8 g | 5.4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 12.6 g | 25.2 g | 12.6 g |
| Fiber | 1.2 g | 2.4 g | 1.2 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.9 g | 1.8 g | 0.9 g |
| Calcium | 123 mg | 246 mg | 123 mg |
| Iron | 0.2 mg | 0.3 mg | 0.2 mg |
| Potassium | 318 mg | 636 mg | 318 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 108 kcal | 5.1 g | 5.4 g | 12.6 g | 1.2 g | 0.9 g | 123 mg | 0.2 mg | 318 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 216 kcal | 10.2 g | 10.8 g | 25.2 g | 2.4 g | 1.8 g | 246 mg | 0.3 mg | 636 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.
