Spicy Thai Butternut Squash Soup

Jan 9, 2012 Posted by Tiffany on Jan 9, 2012 in Foodie Desires, Recipes | 1 comment

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While I was running around trying to find things to put on our Thanksgiving table, I saw some butternut squash on sale. I knew it would make a nice addition to our table as far as looks go, but I cannot recall ever eating butternut squash in my life. Until last week.

As you probably know, I’m not a fan of wasting good. And butternut squash is a perfectly good food that I wasn’t about to throw away just because I’ve never had one before. So I started looking around online and figured out that I could make a nice soup with it. The cool thing with butternut squash soup is that once you have a basic recipe, you can put any combination of other things into it finish off the soup, giving you a new soup experience every time.

This Spicy Thai Butternut Squash Soup has a nice kick to it, but if you end up with something a bit too spicy for your liking, you can add a bit more cream or even sour cream to the finish product to make it milder. I’m always really apprehensive making soups around my husband because he’s typically not a fan, but he absolutely loved this. And the shrimp is a nice complimenting flavor that gives you a nice protein boost.

The basis of this soup is roasted butternut squash which is really simple to do as long as you have a good knife. Another useful tool for this recipe is a puree stick, blender or food processor because you’re going to want to create a uniform soup consistency instead of a stew.

Butternut squash recipes are generally quite low carb friendly, with this particular squash having about half the carbs of potatoes. In fact, this soup reminds me a lot of potato soup although butternut squash has a slightly sweeter taste to start off.

roasted butternut squash

Spicy Thai Butternut Squash Soup

This spicy Thai influence soup is loaded with flavor and a great meal for cooler winter days. It will give you a pep in your step and fills your belly up quickly.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, diced
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1 (2 pound) butternut squash
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon white sugar
salt and black pepper to taste
1 pound peeled, deveined shrimp & skinned

Instructions

Split the squash in half with a large knife, add a few dashes of salt & pepper and put 1 tablespoon butter on top of each half. Roast 1-1 1/2 hours at 360°F (180°C), flesh side up. When you can easily stick a fork into the center of the squash, it is finished. If you end up with any liquids that have collected in your pan, pour them into your soup pot before cutting so you don't lose the liquid.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, cooking and stirring until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 7 minutes. Add the ginger and jalapeno pepper, cooking about 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the butternut squash and chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low.
Stir in evaporated milk, coconut milk, sugar, salt and pepper. Cook and stir 5 minutes more.
In a separate pan, add 1-2 tablespoons butter or olive oil and bring to medium heat. Add shrimp and saute until opaque.
Now it's time to puree the soup. I used a stick blender stuck right into the pot, pureeing for a few minutes then checking for lumps. Puree again if needed. Or you can pour the soup into a blender or food processor, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender (use something to keep your hand from burning like a pot holder or folded towel since the soup is hot), and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth, and pour into a clean pot or container -- or ladle directly into bowls.
Serve with crunchy toasted bread if desired.

http://www.noordinaryhomestead.com/foodie-desires/spicy-thai-butternut-squash-soup/