Soup Spaghetti combines pasta cooked directly in a savory and creamy soup with mushrooms and spinach. It features equal portions of both pasta and soup, creating a unique dish that’s neither just pasta nor just soup. Although it’s not traditional Japanese cuisine, this Western-style creation has become popular in Japan’s Italian restaurants and appears as instant meals in supermarkets throughout the country. This tasty fusion dish shows how Japan loves to put its own spin on international foods. Each bite gives you the satisfying taste of pasta plus the cozy warmth of soup – truly the best of both worlds!
What’s Soup Spaghetti and how it’s eaten in Japan?
Soup Spaghetti isn’t just pasta with a lot of sauce or a soup with noodles floating in it—it’s truly in a category all its own. This unique dish gained popularity across Japan starting in the 1980s, reportedly after an Italian restaurant in Tokyo began serving it to great acclaim. The trend really took off when a major Japanese food company released an instant “soup spaghetti sauce” in 1985, introducing many Japanese households to this new way of enjoying pasta.
Until Soup Spaghetti came along, “spaghetti” meant meat sauce spaghetti for most Japanese people back then, but this product helped establish the previously unknown concept of “eating spaghetti in soup” throughout Japan. For more than four decades since, Soup Spaghetti has remained a beloved, easy-to-prepare meal in Japanese homes.
What makes a “proper” Soup Spaghetti special is its texture. The broth typically starts thin but naturally thickens slightly as the dry pasta cooks directly in the liquid, releasing some starch. For the best experience, the spaghetti should remain pleasantly firm—perfectly al dente—providing a satisfying bite that contrasts beautifully with the flavorful soup.
The variety of soups used in Soup Spaghetti extends far beyond just the creamy versions. From savory tomato-based broths to light, clear consommés, the possibilities are endless. There are different kinds of instant soup spaghetti mix you can buy in stores, and you can even incorporate yourself traditional Japanese dashi or international ethnic flavors to create unique variations.
However, our recipe is a good place to start—and then you can adjust the dish however you like. Soup Spaghetti is very easy to make at home without the help of those mixes, and its truly simple one-pan cooking takes no complicated steps at all. Soup Spaghetti may become your go-to everyday dinner—who knows?
More recipes like Soup Spaghetti
Soup Spaghetti
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Spaghetti in a mild and creamy soup with spinach and mushrooms
Ingredients
- 1/2 pkg Shimeji mushrooms
- 2 slices ham
- 1/2 Tbsp oil
- 1/2 Tbsp butter
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups milk
- 6 oz spaghetti
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp white pepper
- 2 tsp miso paste
- 2 cups baby spinach
- grated parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions
Pull apart Shimeji mushrooms into small pieces. Cut the ham into small pieces.
Heat oil and butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook the mushrooms and ham for a couple of minutes. Add water and milk, bring to a boil, then add the dried spaghetti. Cover with a lid and cook over medium-low heat until al dente.
Season the soup with salt and pepper. Dissolve the miso paste into the soup. Add the spinach and cook for a minute. Sprinkle cheese on top before serving if desired.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: pasta, soup, spaghetti
English (US) · 