Miso Soup with Spinach and Green Onion
みそ汁（ほうれん草・ねぎ） · Miso Shiru (Horenso, Negi)
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Miso soup is on the preschool lunch tray almost every day, and this spinach-and-green-onion version is one of the simplest. Green onion simmers in the dashi until soft and sweet, while the spinach is boiled separately and stirred in just before serving so it keeps its bright color and doesn't turn the soup bitter. Cut into short 2 cm lengths, the greens are easy for little ones to pick up with a spoon, and the gentle dashi-and-miso flavor is one even picky eaters tend to sip happily.
Wheat-free, but uses miso (made with wheat). Japanese school-lunch allergy menus usually allow it, so check with your doctor. How to read the labels
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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
- 22.5 gspinach
- 7.5 ggreen onion (naga negi)Japanese long onion, thicker and milder than Western scallions. Substitute: Scallions or the white part of a leek.
Seasonings
- 150 gdashi stockJapanese soup stock, usually made from kombu (dried kelp) and/or bonito flakes; the base of most Japanese soups and simmered dishes. Substitute: Instant dashi granules dissolved in water, or a mild unsalted chicken or vegetable stock.
- 4.5 gmisoFermented soybean paste. Salty and savory, it is Japan's everyday seasoning for miso soup and many simmered dishes. Substitute: Any light (white or awase) miso. Misos differ in saltiness, so start with a little less and taste. Some misos are made with barley or wheat, so check the label if you avoid them.
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- green onion (naga negi) (ねぎ)
- Japanese long onion, thicker and milder than Western scallions. Substitute: Scallions or the white part of a leek.
- dashi stock (だし汁)
- Japanese soup stock, usually made from kombu (dried kelp) and/or bonito flakes; the base of most Japanese soups and simmered dishes. Substitute: Instant dashi granules dissolved in water, or a mild unsalted chicken or vegetable stock.
- miso (みそ)
- Fermented soybean paste. Salty and savory, it is Japan's everyday seasoning for miso soup and many simmered dishes. Substitute: Any light (white or awase) miso. Misos differ in saltiness, so start with a little less and taste. Some misos are made with barley or wheat, so check the label if you avoid them.
Directions
- 1
Cut the spinach into 2 cm lengths and boil it.
- 2
Thinly slice the green onion into rounds.
- 3
Bring the dashi stock to a boil in a pot, add the green onion from step 2, and simmer.
- 4
Once the green onion is soft, dissolve in the miso, then add the spinach from step 1 just before serving.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 18 kcal | 36 kcal | 18 kcal |
| Protein | 1.7 g | 3.3 g | 1.7 g |
| Fat | 0.5 g | 0.9 g | 0.5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 2.8 g | 5.7 g | 2.8 g |
| Fiber | 0.9 g | 1.8 g | 0.9 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.8 g | 1.5 g | 0.8 g |
| Calcium | 22.5 mg | 45 mg | 22.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.6 mg | 1.2 mg | 0.6 mg |
| Potassium | 282 mg | 564 mg | 282 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 18 kcal | 1.7 g | 0.5 g | 2.8 g | 0.9 g | 0.8 g | 22.5 mg | 0.6 mg | 282 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 36 kcal | 3.3 g | 0.9 g | 5.7 g | 1.8 g | 1.5 g | 45 mg | 1.2 mg | 564 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.
