Vegetable Soup with Onion and Kabocha
野菜スープ（玉ねぎ・かぼちゃ） · Yasai Soup
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
This is one of the simplest soups on our preschool lunch menu: just onion and kabocha squash simmered in a light consommé broth until tender. Kabocha turns soft and naturally sweet as it cooks, and the onion melts into the broth, so even children who hesitate over vegetables tend to finish the bowl. We leave the kabocha skin on for color and nutrition, trimming away only any blemished spots, and cut it into 1.5 cm cubes so each piece fits neatly on a small spoon. Season lightly with salt at the very end, once the vegetables are soft, so the natural sweetness comes through.
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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
- 15 gonion
- 30 gkabocha squashSweet, dense Japanese pumpkin with dark green skin and orange flesh. Substitute: Butternut squash or another sweet winter squash.
Seasonings
- 150 mlwater
- 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
- 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
Thinly slice the onion, then cut the slices in half lengthwise. Trim off only any blemished parts of the kabocha skin, then cut the kabocha, skin on, into 1.5 cm cubes.
- 2
Put the water, consommé, and the vegetables from step 1 in a pot and simmer.
- 3
Once the vegetables are tender, season to taste with salt.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 30 kcal | 60 kcal | 30 kcal |
| Protein | 0.8 g | 1.5 g | 0.8 g |
| Fat | 0.2 g | 0.3 g | 0.2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 7.7 g | 15.3 g | 7.7 g |
| Fiber | 1.4 g | 2.7 g | 1.4 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.6 g | 1.2 g | 0.6 g |
| Calcium | 9 mg | 18 mg | 9 mg |
| Iron | 0.2 mg | 0.3 mg | 0.2 mg |
| Potassium | 153 mg | 306 mg | 153 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 30 kcal | 0.8 g | 0.2 g | 7.7 g | 1.4 g | 0.6 g | 9 mg | 0.2 mg | 153 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 60 kcal | 1.5 g | 0.3 g | 15.3 g | 2.7 g | 1.2 g | 18 mg | 0.3 mg | 306 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.
