Vegetable Soup with Komatsuna and Bacon
野菜スープ（小松菜・ベーコン）
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
This is a simple clear soup built on consommé, with slivers of carrot, small pieces of bacon and bright green komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach). The bacon gives the broth a gentle savory depth without heavy seasoning, and the carrot is cut into thin strips so it turns soft enough for small children to chew easily. Komatsuna is a tender leafy green that cooks quickly and stays mild in flavor; if you can't find it, spinach or baby bok choy works well in its place. Blanching the greens separately keeps their color vivid, but on a busy day it's fine to simmer them right in the pot.
Added. Open the recipe helper (bottom right) → ☰ Menu → 🛒 Shopping list to see the ingredients for your family size.
Printing uses the number of adults and children set under Ingredients, so set those first.
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 gkomatsunaA mild Japanese leafy green (Japanese mustard spinach) with tender stems. Substitute: Spinach or bok choy.
- 15 gcarrot
- 6 gbacon
Seasonings
- 150 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.
- 0.3 gsalt
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- komatsuna (こまつな)
- A mild Japanese leafy green (Japanese mustard spinach) with tender stems. Substitute: Spinach or bok choy.
- 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 komatsuna into 2 cm pieces and boil in hot water for 5 minutes. (Boiling it separately keeps the color bright, but if that's too much trouble, it's fine to simmer it in the soup with everything else.)
- 2
Cut the carrot into thin strips about 4 cm long, and cut the bacon into 1 cm pieces.
- 3
Put the water, consommé and carrot in a pot and bring to a boil. Add the bacon and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes.
- 4
Add the salt to adjust the seasoning, then stir in the komatsuna from step 1.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 25.5 kcal | 51 kcal | 25.5 kcal |
| Protein | 1.4 g | 2.7 g | 1.4 g |
| Fat | 1.2 g | 2.4 g | 1.2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 2.4 g | 4.8 g | 2.4 g |
| Fiber | 0.9 g | 1.8 g | 0.9 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.8 g | 1.5 g | 0.8 g |
| Calcium | 43.5 mg | 87 mg | 43.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.6 mg | 1.2 mg | 0.6 mg |
| Potassium | 172.5 mg | 345 mg | 172.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 25.5 kcal | 1.4 g | 1.2 g | 2.4 g | 0.9 g | 0.8 g | 43.5 mg | 0.6 mg | 172.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 51 kcal | 2.7 g | 2.4 g | 4.8 g | 1.8 g | 1.5 g | 87 mg | 1.2 mg | 345 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.
