Potato Corn Chowder with Kale and Bacon
I mentioned that last week our weather took a turn towards fall.
The cool temperature and constant drizzle quickly convinced me that soup was the only viable option for dinner.
But what to make?
I was craving something new rather than many of our favorite standby soup recipes.
The previous weekend we had taken a trip to the Boulder County Farmer’s Market on a pleasant Saturday afternoon.
Corn was “stuff a bag for $6.”
We came home with loads and loads of summer corn and no real plans for it other than to enjoy it slathered with butter straight off the cob.
But we happened to have just enough corn leftover for a batch of Corn Chowder.
After the realization that dinner would be something fantastic, I quickly turned to two of my favorite sources: How to Cook Everything and Soups, Stews & Chilis to see if I even had the rest of the ingredients.
I used these recipes for Corn Chowder more as a guide than anything else.
Taking a little bit from each and adding a little bit of my own ideas, like the chopped kale.
I kept things a little lighter by using whole milk rather than cream or half and half, though I’ll assure you this soup is still very rich tasting.
I liked the idea of roasting the corn for the chowder and detailed in How to Cook Everything.
Roasting always brings out so much flavor in the ingredients.
I prepared a batch of Whole Wheat Dinner rolls from Sarabeth’s Bakery.
I realized just after I had added the yeast to the warm water that I had used the very last of the butter in the soup and we didn’t have any extra hiding out in our garage freezer.
For a moment I thought I was doomed (as Logan would say).
I called a few friends and no one was home.
So I hopped into the car and made a dash for the neighborhood 7-11 where I bought some extremely overpriced butter, but nonetheless saved the day.
The rolls and soup were a hit for dinner and perfect on that chilly drizzly day.
More Great Corn Recipes:
Soft Tacos With Chicken and Tomato-Corn Salsa | GoodLife Eats
Late Summer Grilled Corn Salsa | Bev Cooks
Caramelized Corn and Black Bean Tacos | Closet Cooking
Spicy Corn Fritters Recipe | Simply Recipes
Creamy Roasted Corn Chowder with Bacon
Roasted corn chowder is rich, creamy, and loaded with golden corn kernels, tender chunks of potato, and crispy bacon! This is a flexible chowder recipe that can be made with fresh or frozen corn, so use what you have on hand.
Ingredients
For the Corn Chowder
- 6 ears sweet yellow corn, shucked
- 2 teaspoons olive oil, plus extra as needed
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 - 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 large russet potato, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes
- ½ - 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon pepper, or to taste
- dash cayenne pepper
- dash nutmeg
- 2 cups finely chopped kale
For the Garnish
- Homemade bacon bits
- Chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
Roasting the Corn
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Rub the shucked corn with the 2 teaspoons of olive oil, adding more if needed.
- Place them on a rimmed baking sheet and roast, turning frequently, for about 20 - 30 minutes, or until the kernels start to brown. Remove from the oven and cool until safe to handle.
Preparing the Corn Broth
- After the corn has cooled, cut the kernels off the cob. Place the kernels from 5 of the cobs in one bowl together and reserve the kernels from 1 cob separately to use as a garnish, if desired. Set the corn aside for later in the recipe.
- Then, add the leftover cobs to a large pot with 2 cups of water. Bring the water and corn cob mixture to a rolling boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low. Place a lid on the pot and let simmer while covered for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, turn off the heat. Remove and lid to the pot and carefully use tongs to remove the cooked cobs from the pot, then discard them. Set the corn broth aside for later in the recipe.
Preparing the Corn Chowder
- In a large, deep pot (such as a dutch oven), melt the butter over medium heat. Add the diced onion to the melted butter, and sauté until the onions are golden and tender (about 3 - 5 minutes).
- Then, add the celery to the onion and butter mixture and sauté for an additional 2 - 3 minutes.
- Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the flour and butter mixture takes on a golden hue - just a couple minutes.
- Add the whole milk, ½ a cup at a time, whisking in between additions so as to remove and lumps. Then, stir in the corn broth that you saved from earlier.
- Add the roasted corn kernels, diced potatoes, and 1 cup of chicken broth. Stir the ingredients together and add additional chicken broth as needed until your preferred chowder consistency is reached. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and a dash of cayenne and nutmeg.
- Bring the soup mixture to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and allow the chowder to simmer until the potatoes are tender.
For Serving
- Just before serving stir in the kale and cook until it is wilted.
- Garnish with the reserved 1 cob corn kernels, crumbled bacon, and fresh parsley.
Notes
Corn — I roasted fresh ears of sweet corn myself, but you may also use frozen fire roasted corn instead to save time. I do NOT recommend canned corn for this chowder recipe. (You can also grill the corn instead of roasting it, weather permitting!)
Chicken Broth — Can be replaced with vegetable broth if needed.
Kale — Can be replaced with an equal amount of fresh spinach.
Bacon — I’ve linked my homemade bacon bits above, but feel free to cook and crumble any kind of bacon you like.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 293Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 862mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 4gSugar: 11gProtein: 11g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
Polly says
Made this tonight!! So delicious!!! Nom nom!
Katie says
Glad you liked it! Thanks for stopping by!