Description
This Summer Corn and Zucchini Chowder is a creamy, comforting dish perfect for warm weather using fresh summer vegetables like corn, zucchini, and yellow squash. Made with a savory bacon base, tender potatoes, and a touch of cream, this chowder is both hearty and refreshing.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 4 strips bacon – cooked, chopped into bits
- 1/2 large yellow onion – diced
- 2 ribs celery – finely diced
- 5 ears corn – cut off from the cob
- 4 cloves garlic – minced
- 5 cup chicken broth – low sodium
- 2 russet potatoes – peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 1 1/4 tsp kosher sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/4 tsp thyme
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 large zucchini – cut into quarters lengthwise, then sliced
- 1 large yellow squash – cut into quarters lengthwise, then sliced
- 2 cup half and half – or whole milk
Instructions
- Cook Bacon: Set a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp, about 5 minutes.
- Sauté Vegetables: Add onion and celery to the pot and cook for 3 minutes. Add corn and continue cooking for an additional 4 minutes. Then add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add Broth and Spices: Pour in chicken broth and increase heat to medium-high. Once simmering, add potatoes along with salt, pepper, paprika, parsley, thyme, and cayenne.
- Simmer Potatoes: Reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes until potatoes begin to soften.
- Add Squash: Add zucchini and yellow squash to the pot and cook for an additional 10-12 minutes until potatoes are fork-tender and vegetables are cooked through.
- Puree Chowder: Transfer 2 cups of chowder to a food processor or blender and puree until silky smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Return pureed mixture to the pot.
- Add Cream: Stir in half and half until combined, then remove chowder from heat.
- Rest and Serve: Let the chowder sit for 10 minutes before serving to meld the flavors.
Notes
- To store, refrigerate chowder in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- You can freeze the chowder for up to 2 months but consider omitting or substituting dairy to preserve texture after thawing.
- Reheat gently on the stove over medium heat, stirring occasionally, or microwave in 30-second intervals with stirring.
- Use whole milk instead of half and half for a lighter chowder with less fat.
- Adjust cayenne pepper to control the heat level according to taste.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 35 mg
