Vegetable Soup with Spinach and Onion
野菜スープ（ほうれん草・玉ねぎ）
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
This is one of the simplest soups on the preschool menu: sweet, softly simmered onion in a light consommé broth, with a handful of blanched spinach stirred in right before serving. Cooking the onion until it is truly tender brings out its natural sweetness, so the soup needs only a small pinch of salt to taste right for children. Adding the spinach at the very end keeps its bright green color and prevents it from turning limp and dull in the pot. It pairs easily with almost any Western-style main, from Hamburg steak to pasta.
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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 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
- 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 spinach into 2 cm (about 3/4 inch) lengths and boil it.
- 2
Cut the onion in half lengthwise, then into thin slices.
- 3
Put the water, the onion from step 2 and the consommé in a pot and simmer.
- 4
Once the onion is tender, season to taste with salt, then add the spinach from step 1 just before serving.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 10.5 kcal | 21 kcal | 10.5 kcal |
| Protein | 0.6 g | 1.2 g | 0.6 g |
| Fat | 0.2 g | 0.3 g | 0.2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 2.3 g | 4.5 g | 2.3 g |
| Fiber | 0.9 g | 1.8 g | 0.9 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.6 g | 1.2 g | 0.6 g |
| Calcium | 13.5 mg | 27 mg | 13.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.5 mg | 0.9 mg | 0.5 mg |
| Potassium | 180 mg | 360 mg | 180 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 10.5 kcal | 0.6 g | 0.2 g | 2.3 g | 0.9 g | 0.6 g | 13.5 mg | 0.5 mg | 180 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 21 kcal | 1.2 g | 0.3 g | 4.5 g | 1.8 g | 1.2 g | 27 mg | 0.9 mg | 360 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.
