In addition to their fabulous homemade peanut butter, one of my all-time favorites at Whole Foods is their warm butternut squash crab bisque. Oh my word – this soup is amazing! I still remember the first time a friend introduced it to me a few years ago, and I had my first taste of the brilliant sweet butternut squash and salty crab combination. It’s without a doubt my kind of comfort food. Absolutely delicious!
So of course, ran home and immediately had to figure out how to make it myself. A quick Google search came up with this recipe, and I’ve been using it ever since – with a few modifications. :) The original called for a cup of heavy cream, but I always use milk (or occasionally half-and-half) and still think it’s fantastic. I also added in a little extra crab, as I felt that its flavor was overpowered by the squash in the original recipe.
It’s a little more than a 30-minute meal, but well, well worth the effort. Plus, this makes an enormous batch, so it’s great for serving a crowd or yummy leftovers. A must-try during squash season!!
Butternut Squash and Crab Bisque
Ingredients
- 4 large cloves garlic, roasted
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 1/2 to 2 lbs. butternut squash, peeled and cubed
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup fresh carrots, diced
- 1 cup fresh celery, diced
- 1 quart chicken broth, divided use
- 1 Tbsp. fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
- 1 cup half and half (or milk)
- 12 ounces crab claw meat
- Salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare roasted garlic while you prepare the veggies. (For instructions on how to peel/seed/cut butternut squash, see here.)
- In a large (at least 5 quart) stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add butternut squash, onions, carrots, celery and garlic, and saute 5 minutes.
- Add 3 cups of broth, reserving the rest. Cover pot and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until squash is very tender (about 30 minutes).
- Add the half-and-half (or milk) and puree the mixture with an immersion blender until very smooth (or blend in batches in blender and return to pan). Thin with remaining broth if desired.
- Fold in the crab meat and sage. Season generously with salt and pepper and serve.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
I cannot ever follow a recipe but I love inspiration!! I subbed an apple for the celery because that is what I had on hand. I used coconut milk instead of cow milk and was generous with crushed red pepper. I love love love this recipe! Thank you!
Made this for dinner tonight, and it’s YUMMY! I didn’t have sage, so I used thyme, and I added a little cayenne for a subtle kick. Also, I threw in a handful of shrimp I needed to use up. Wonderful!
Delicious but I have to say I changed it slightly. My butternut squash (home grown) seemed a little small so I also used a medium sized acorn squash (also home grown). I only had white onions so I used them. I used more roasted garlic (I love garlic and always use more.) I also used a sprinkle of granulated garlic at the end (remember I said I love garlic.) I didn’t have access to fresh sage so I used dried and pulverized it to a finer powder with a mortar and pestle. I used white pepper because I didn’t want black specks in my soup if I had used fresh ground black pepper. I used all the chicken broth and an extra 1/2 cup half & half. I used a 1 lb. can of commercial Chicken of the Sea claw blue crab instead of 12 oz’s. Turned out FANTASTIC.
I just got some of this soup from my small town market in Old Saybrook, CT. They also add acorn squash and blue crab and it’s the best soup I have ever had! Thank you for your comments. I am going to try your modifications to the already great recipe!!
The first item called for is roast garlic, but you do not tell how to roast it. I have never roasted garlic in the time it takes to cut up a butternut squash. Not sure what you were going for here but it should have been in the recipe. I guess I will just look for a complete one somewhere else.
Here are some easy instructions!
Good morning! I have featured this recipe on my blog today for my weekly seafood round-up and have linked this recipe to your original post so that my readers will be forwarded to your site. Thank you for allowing me to share! Here is the link: https://carriesexperimentalkitchen.blogspot.com/2012/10/seafood-frenzy-friday-week-39.html
OMG THANK YOU!! This is my favorite soup ever!
Yea. How much butter do you need? Any? I plan to make this this weekend and would love to avoid unwelcome surprises like “How much butter do I need?” I assume 2 tablespoons as the adapted from recipe shows, but is that accurate? Thanks! This looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it!