Miso Soup with Spinach and Onion
みそ汁（ほうれん草・玉ねぎ） · Miso Shiru (Horenso, Tamanegi)
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Miso soup is on the table at almost every Japanese meal, and in preschool kitchens it is the soup children see most often. This version pairs sweet, soft-simmered onion with spinach, which gives even small children a bit of green they will happily slurp up. The spinach is blanched separately and stirred in just before serving so it keeps its bright color and does not turn the soup bitter, and the onion is cut into short slices so it fits neatly on a toddler's spoon.
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
- 15 gonion
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
- 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 (about 3/4 inch) lengths and blanch it in boiling water.
- 2
Cut the onion into thin slices, then cut the slices in half so they are short.
- 3
Put the dashi stock and the onion from step 2 in a pot and simmer.
- 4
Once the onion is soft, dissolve the miso into the soup, then add the spinach from step 1 just before serving.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 19.5 kcal | 39 kcal | 19.5 kcal |
| Protein | 1.7 g | 3.3 g | 1.7 g |
| Fat | 0.5 g | 0.9 g | 0.5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 3.5 g | 6.9 g | 3.5 g |
| Fiber | 1 g | 2.1 g | 1 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 | 289.5 mg | 579 mg | 289.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 19.5 kcal | 1.7 g | 0.5 g | 3.5 g | 1 g | 0.8 g | 22.5 mg | 0.6 mg | 289.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 39 kcal | 3.3 g | 0.9 g | 6.9 g | 2.1 g | 1.5 g | 45 mg | 1.2 mg | 579 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.
