Butternut Squash and Coconut Curry Soup with Shrimp — A Holy Week Bowl for the Days When the Kitchen Is the Church

Holy Week. Semana Santa. In Bayamon, Holy Week was the most solemn week of the year — no music, no parties, Mami in church every day, Abuela Consuelo cooking fish because you do not eat meat during Holy Week, that is the rule and rules are not negotiable when your grandmother is a Catholic who believes God is watching the kitchen. In Hartford, Holy Week is quieter — we go to Mass on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, and I cook fish all week because the tradition is in my bones even if I am not as devout as Abuela Consuelo was.

I made bacalao guisado — salt cod stewed with sofrito and tomatoes and potatoes and olives. Bacalao is the Puerto Rican Holy Week food, the fish that sustained the island when meat was forbidden and money was short and faith was all you had. I soak the cod overnight to remove the salt, then cook it slow with everything else until the fish falls apart and the sauce is thick and the kitchen smells like church and ocean and Abuela Consuelo saying Amen over the stove. Eduardo does not love bacalao. Eduardo is from Ponce and people from Ponce have strange opinions about salt cod, but he eats it during Holy Week because he married a woman from Bayamon and marrying a woman from Bayamon means eating bacalao during Holy Week without complaint.

On Good Friday I went to Mass at St. Augustine. Father Ramirez gave the homily in Spanish and I sat in the pew and thought about Abuela Consuelo in her church in Bayamon, her rosary in her hands, her lips moving in prayer. She prayed every day. She cooked every day. She believed that both were the same act — an offering, a giving, a way of saying I love you to something bigger than yourself. I am not as devout as she was. But I cook with the same intention. I cook the way she prayed. If that is not faith, I do not know what is.

Easter Sunday the family gathered. Pernil — yes, even on Easter, because the meat ban is over and Carmen celebrates the end of the meat ban with the biggest piece of meat available. Also pasteles from the freezer, arroz con gandules, the full Sunday spread. Jenny brought a ham. An American ham with pineapple rings and maraschino cherries. I put it on the table next to my pernil and I did not say a word. Not one word. This is growth, mi amor. This is me, growing. The pernil was gone in twenty minutes. The ham lasted three days. I am not keeping score. I am keeping facts.

Easter Sunday left me full in every way — full of pernil, full of family, full of that particular satisfaction that only comes from cooking with intention. But the week after a holiday is its own thing: the freezer is emptied, the leftovers are gone, and I want something that feels like a fresh start without abandoning the act of cooking as devotion. This soup — butternut squash, coconut, shrimp, all those warm and patient flavors — is exactly that. Here’s how I made it.

Butternut Squash and Coconut Curry Soup with Shrimp and Rice Noodles

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil or coconut oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tablespoons red curry paste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 4 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about 1 medium squash)
• 1 can (14 oz) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 2 cans (14 oz each) full-fat coconut milk
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable or seafood broth
• 1 1/2 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 6 oz thin rice noodles
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Fresh cilantro, sliced scallions, and lime wedges for serving

Instructions

1. Build the base. Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent.
2. Bloom the aromatics. Add the garlic, ginger, and red curry paste. Stir and cook 1–2 minutes until deeply fragrant. Add the cumin, turmeric, and cayenne and stir another 30 seconds.
3. Add the squash and liquids. Add the butternut squash cubes, fire-roasted tomatoes, coconut milk, and broth. Stir to combine. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.
4. Simmer until tender. Cook uncovered for 18–22 minutes, until the squash is completely fork-tender. Use the back of a spoon or a ladle to lightly crush some of the squash against the pot wall to thicken the broth.
5. Cook the noodles. While the soup simmers, prepare the rice noodles according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
6. Add the shrimp. Season the soup with fish sauce and lime juice. Add the shrimp in a single layer and cook 3–4 minutes, just until they are pink and curled. Do not overcook. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
7. Serve. Divide noodles among bowls. Ladle the hot soup and shrimp over the noodles. Top with fresh cilantro, scallions, and a lime wedge. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 430 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 36g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 720mg