Tomato ABC Soup (Elementary School Portion)
【小学校】ABCスープ（トマト味）
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese elementary school lunch menu
ABC soup is a classic of Japanese school lunch menus: a light vegetable soup dotted with tiny alphabet-shaped pasta. This version is simmered with diced tomatoes and a little ketchup for a gentle tomato flavor that children take to right away, and hunting for letters in the bowl keeps even picky eaters spooning it up. The vegetables are cut small and softened in the microwave first, so they cook through evenly and the soup comes together quickly. If you have time, let the tomatoes simmer longer so their sharpness mellows into a rounder, sweeter taste.
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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
- 10.2 galphabet pasta
- 29.9 gonion
- 14.4 gcarrot
- 36.6 gpotato
- 29.9 gcabbage
- 10.2 gbacon
- 222 gwater
- 52.1 gcanned diced tomatoes
Seasonings
- 2.8 gvegetable oil
- 2.8 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.
- 3.6 gketchup
- 0.3 gsalt
- to tastepepper
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- 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 carrot, onion, cabbage, and potato into 1 cm dice.
- 2
Put the carrot, onion, and cabbage in a microwave-safe bowl, add 1 tbsp of water (not included in the ingredient amounts), toss lightly, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave at 1200W for about 2 minutes 30 seconds. Add the potato and microwave for about 30 seconds more.
- 3
Cut the bacon into 1 cm strips.
- 4
Heat the oil in a pot, add the microwaved vegetables and the bacon, and sauté over medium heat for about 3 minutes.
- 5
Add the water and consommé. Once it comes to a boil, add the diced tomatoes and ketchup and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes (if you have time, simmering for 20 minutes or more cooks off the acidity and makes the soup taste even better). Add the pasta and simmer for about 10 minutes more.
- 6
Finish by adding the salt and pepper and adjusting the seasoning to taste.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 152 kcal | 303.9 kcal | 152 kcal |
| Protein | 5.1 g | 10.2 g | 5.1 g |
| Fat | 5.4 g | 10.8 g | 5.4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 24.2 g | 48.3 g | 24.2 g |
| Fiber | 5.9 g | 11.7 g | 5.9 g |
| Salt equivalent | 2.1 g | 4.2 g | 2.1 g |
| Calcium | 32.1 mg | 64.2 mg | 32.1 mg |
| Iron | 0.6 mg | 1.2 mg | 0.6 mg |
| Potassium | 485 mg | 969.9 mg | 485 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 152 kcal | 5.1 g | 5.4 g | 24.2 g | 5.9 g | 2.1 g | 32.1 mg | 0.6 mg | 485 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 303.9 kcal | 10.2 g | 10.8 g | 48.3 g | 11.7 g | 4.2 g | 64.2 mg | 1.2 mg | 969.9 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 Tomato Alphabet Soup (larger quantities, same method).
