By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 1 hour 30 minutes
- Rating
- 4(381)
- Notes
- Read community notes
One of the most comforting dishes you can make with winter squash is a puréed soup. I use rice to thicken this one, but you could also use a potato, or not add additional starch at all, as the squash itself has a lot of body. To enhance the flavor, this one calls for ginger, with a little lime juice and a swirl of yogurt added before serving.
Featured in: Winter Squash, Five Ways
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- 1tablespoon canola or rice bran oil
- 1medium onion, chopped
- 1carrot, diced
- 2pounds peeled winter squash, like butternut or kabocha
- 2garlic cloves, minced
- 1tablespoon minced ginger
- 6½cups water, chicken stock or vegetable stock
- ⅓cup rice
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- ½teaspoon ginger juice (made by grating a teaspoon of fresh ginger, wrapping in cheesecloth and squeezing the cheesecloth)
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- ½lime
- 4 to 6tablespoons plain yogurt
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
154 calories; 3 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 32 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 1095 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven and add the onion and carrot. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the winter squash, garlic and minced ginger and cook, stirring, until the mixture smells fragrant, about 1 minute
Step
2
Add the water or stock, the rice and salt to taste and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the squash is very tender
Step
3
Using a hand blender, or in batches in a regular blender, purée the soup. If using a regular blender, cover the top with a towel pulled down tight, rather than airtight with the lid. Return to the pot and heat through. Stir in the ginger juice, taste and season with salt and pepper. If desired, thin out with a little more water or stock
Step
4
Ladle the soup into bowls and add a tablespoon of yogurt (more to taste), then slowly swirl the yogurt into the soup with a spoon. Squeeze a few drops of lime juice onto each serving and sprinkle with whisper of nutmeg
Tip
- Advance preparation: The soup will hold for several hours, in or out of the refrigerator. Proceed with Step 4 just before serving
Ratings
4
out of 5
381
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Cooking Notes
Lee Norris
Rather than doing all that work of peeling and chopping the squash why not just halve and bake it in the oven until it's soft enough to mash into the other ingredients?
nanibi
For ginger juice, press a chunk in a garlic press. Neat and easy.
Nadina Cole-Potter
Peeling, seeding and dicing raw winter squash is a pain. Instead, cut off a thin slice of each end (we use butternut); microwave for 16 minutes in a glass loaf pan with 2" of water on a microwave rack on a rotating base; turn the squash and microwave for 12 minutes more. Remove and let cool. Slice the squash in 1/2 lengthwise; scoop out and discard seeds. Gently scoop the softened squash away from the shell.
GB
Used medium carrot, seeded and cut butternut squash into 1.5 inch chunks. Both of these instructions missing in recipe. I thought the soup was a bit thin, would cut back on liquid (I used canned chix stock) or increase rice quantity.
Time and servings were accurate.
To make ginger juice, I used a sieve, can't imagine using a cheese cloth for this step.
KM
1 pound of squash = 1 1/2 to 2 cups cooked
Altoon
Delicious soup. I like a thicker soup, so used 5 cups of water; and, I like ginger, so instead of the ginger juice, I tossed in the grated ginger. The ginger and lime give the soup a lovely flavor. Oh, and I roasted the squash in the oven before making the soup; for ease (I hate peeling winter squash), and because the roasting adds flavor.
Dinni
I thought this soup was delicious and made only one revision. Out of laziness I just added finely grated ginger instead of ginger juice. No one seemed to mind.
gail
Yesterday I made another butternut squash soup by Ms Shulman that appeared in the NYT in 2008. It is sublime, and everyone should try it: the ingredients include canola oil to saute chopped onion and minced fresh ginger, Add 1 pound each but'nut squash and sweet potatoes, and one regular (I used Carola) potato. I used Trader Joe's chicken broth to cook it for 45 minutes. S&P. Puree. Yummy hot, warm, or cold.
Grace
I am a HUGE fan of kabocha, but definitely not of peeling it. If you roast it at 425F for an hour (convection ovens may cut the time by 20 minutes) you’ll not only find it easier to scoop, but your soup will taste much sweeter.
Laura
Instead of lime juice, added apple cider vinegar. Perfect amount of zip.
Rita
I just didn't think it tasted that good without some doctoring of it up. Missing cream/coconut milk or something. Had one bowl and will put some other things in it to make is taste better. I did sauté up some leeks that i had from a CSA and put it on and that helped with some added texture/flavor.
Howard from SF
I used a little less water / broth (4 cups of vegetable broth plus a little water), a bit more carrot, and added some apple (peel on, coarsely chopped) for the boil simmer phase. I removed the apple chunks before blending. I think this gives it a nice bit of sweetness (instead of the ginger juice) without being too sweet.
David from Las Vegas
Used pressure cooker--8 min on high and then natural cool down (about 15 min). Used pre-cut butternut squash from Whole Food. Very easy, tasty. Lime juice and nutmeg are nice touches--served with lime wedges and most people added more than "a few drops".
phillip roullard
I made this soup per the recipe but it lacked zip so I'm thinking of adding some curry powder to it or maybe even some red curry paste, (a small amount). Now I know that my notes probably won't make it past the recipe censors for some reason, they never do, even though I see some notes that are even more brutal than mine.
Sallie
Delicious! Forgot to add the rice; don’t think we missed it, but would like to try it again and use it. Served with a little lump crab meat in the bowl. Yum!
LindaL
As some readers recommended, I reduced the broth to 5 cups. It turned out to be just the right thickness. It did need more salt than I would have expected. Overall, very tasty.
Holly
Enjoyed this soup. It initially tasted bitter so I added sugar and that took care of it. I used a vita mix to blend completely smooth.
cmj
Oct 2022. Made for Tori and Maureen. It’s thick - only added 2/3 of liquid. Will add more when serving. Lime and ginger finish I bet are important!
cat
roasted the squash at 425 for 25 minutes; wish I had added coconut milk or more ginger in with the onions for a stronger/deeper flavor
Nancy
Thin, not very flavorful. Meh!If I make again, triple the garlic and ginger, add more salt. Should have added less liquid.
Heidi
Used the recipe as an inspiration, since I had already-cooked kabocha to use up and also some coconut milk. Exact proportions aren’t crucial, but I’d add more ginger — way more — and perhaps more lime. I’m not a salt enthusiast, but those who are might want to go at that dimension. Really good recipe!
Ken from Mass.
What exactly does peeled winter squash mean? Peel the exterior and leave the seeds and flesh intact?
Bernadatte
Tasty! Was low on squash. Roasted an acorn squash (1 lb peeled) and carrots (.5 lb) with garlic and olive oil in convection oven at 425 for 15 minutes, then proceeded w/recipe. Added a teaspoon each of powdered ginger and turmeric on top of the fresh ginger. Nice zing. Overall saved about a half hour of simmering time.Didn't measure water but simply used enough to cover the veggies, adding a bit more after pureeing with immersion blender.
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