Martha Stewart Butternut Squash Soup with Shrimp

Martha Stewart butternut squash soup with shrimp takes 55 minutes and a half butternut squash, sage and sour cream to make a silky, creamy pureed soup. It's an easy cozy soup for fall weeknights, Sunday dinner or Thanksgiving week, and it's a one-pot recipe that cleans up fast.

Cook the shrimp first, just 6 minutes in butter, then set them aside under foil. Cooking them in the soup would turn them rubbery, so they only join the pot at the very end.

Martha purees only half the soup with sour cream, which leaves the other half in tender chunks of squash and onion. Browning chopped sage in the butter with the onion also builds an earthy base that a pinch of dried sage can't match.

Martha Stewart Butternut Squash Soup with Shrimp

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Course: SoupCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

35

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Calories

320

kcal

Half the soup is blended with sour cream until velvety, while the rest stays in soft chunks of squash and onion. Sweet shrimp stir in at the end, and crisp fried sage adds a crunchy finish.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  

• 1 pound frozen large shrimp (peeled and deveined), thawed
  

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced small
  

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage leaves
  

• 1/2 large butternut squash
  

• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  

• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  

• Coarse salt
  

• 1/4 cup sour cream
  

• Fried sage leaves (optional), for serving
  

Directions

• Prep the squash: Cut the squash into 1/2-inch pieces and set aside. Then melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.
• Cook the shrimp: Add the shrimp to the melted butter and cook until opaque throughout, about 6 minutes. Transfer them to a plate and cover with foil so they stay warm.
• Soften the onion: Increase the heat to medium-high and add 1 tablespoon butter, the diced onion and the chopped sage. Cook for 8 minutes, until the onion is softened.
• Simmer the soup: Add the squash, cayenne and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until the squash is tender, then season with salt.
• Blend half: Transfer half the mixture to a blender and add the sour cream. Puree until smooth, using caution when blending hot liquids.
• Combine and serve: Return the puree to the pot along with the shrimp and stir to combine. Divide the soup among four bowls and top with fried sage leaves, if you like.

Tools for this recipe

• Lodge 6-quart enameled Dutch oven, Vitamix E310 blender, Victorinox Fibrox 8-inch chef's knife. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

How do I make the fried sage leaves?

Pour about a cup of vegetable oil into a medium pot and warm it over high heat until it shimmers. Drop in 2 or 3 sage leaves at a time, fry them for roughly 10 to 12 seconds until crisp, and lift them out onto paper towels.

How long do the fried sage leaves keep?

Seal them in an airtight container and they stay crisp for about 2 days. For the best crunch, fry them the same day you serve the soup.

Can I use a different squash?

Kabocha or acorn squash would work, since both turn creamy when pureed. Cut the pieces to the same 1/2-inch size so they are tender within the 20-minute simmer.

Can I make this soup ahead of time?

You can make the soup base through the blending step a day ahead and keep it in the fridge. Stir in freshly cooked shrimp when you reheat it, because shrimp turn tough when reheated.

What is the most common mistake with this soup?

Overcooking the shrimp is the big one, so pull them at 6 minutes when they turn opaque. They finish warming in the hot soup, which keeps them tender.