Pumpkin Soup (Elementary School Portion)
【小学校】パンプキンスープ
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese elementary school lunch menu
This is the pumpkin soup we serve in the elementary school lunch program, made with kabocha squash, carrot, onion and milk. The vegetables are sweated slowly in butter until their natural sweetness comes out, then simmered and blended silky smooth, so it tastes gently sweet and creamy without much seasoning at all. Kabocha is a Japanese winter squash with dense, nutty flesh; if you can't find it, another sweet, dry-fleshed squash such as buttercup or a small sugar pumpkin works well. Children who won't touch chunks of squash on their plate will happily drink it as a soup.
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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 elementary school, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 74.3 gkabocha squashSweet, dense Japanese pumpkin with dark green skin and orange flesh. Substitute: Butternut squash or another sweet winter squash.
- 44.4 gonion
- 22.2 gcarrot
- 88.8 gwater
- 88.8 gmilk
Seasonings
- 4.4 gsalted butter
- 1.2 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.
- 0.3 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
Peel the kabocha squash and cut it into bite-sized pieces about 3 to 4 cm across. Cut the carrot into 2 cm-thick quarter-rounds and thinly slice the onion. (The kabocha and carrot are cut thick so they simmer to a soft, fluffy texture.)
- 2
Melt the butter in a pot, add the carrot and onion, and cook over low heat for 5 minutes until softened, adding a small splash of water from time to time. (Cooking off the vegetables' moisture draws out their natural sweetness.)
- 3
Add the kabocha and stir-fry briefly to coat it in the butter. (Lightly searing it brings out a toasty flavor.)
- 4
Add the water and consommé bouillon. Once it comes to a boil, reduce to low heat (if any scum floats to the surface, just lightly skim off whatever bothers you), cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes.
- 5
When the carrot is soft enough for a fork to slide in easily, turn off the heat and blend with an immersion blender until smooth.
- 6
Add the milk, season to taste with salt and pepper, and warm through over low heat. (High heat will spoil the texture, so take care not to let it boil. Adjust the salt and pepper as you taste.)
* Freezes well. Store in a zip-top bag or a lidded container in the freezer for up to about 2 weeks.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 168.6 kcal | 337.2 kcal | 168.6 kcal |
| Protein | 4.9 g | 9.9 g | 4.9 g |
| Fat | 7.2 g | 14.4 g | 7.2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 26 g | 51.9 g | 26 g |
| Fiber | 3.8 g | 7.5 g | 3.8 g |
| Salt equivalent | 1.2 g | 2.4 g | 1.2 g |
| Calcium | 129.8 mg | 259.5 mg | 129.8 mg |
| Iron | 0.3 mg | 0.6 mg | 0.3 mg |
| Potassium | 589.3 mg | 1178.7 mg | 589.3 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 168.6 kcal | 4.9 g | 7.2 g | 26 g | 3.8 g | 1.2 g | 129.8 mg | 0.3 mg | 589.3 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 337.2 kcal | 9.9 g | 14.4 g | 51.9 g | 7.5 g | 2.4 g | 259.5 mg | 0.6 mg | 1178.7 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese elementary-school 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.
This is the elementary-school portion of Pumpkin Soup (larger quantities, same method).
