Creamy Corn Chowder

Creamy Corn Chowder

This creamy corn chowder recipe is sweet, spicy, and smooth! For a non-spicy version, omit the cayenne pepper. If you LOVE spicy chowder as I do, try adding red pepper flakes too! I love this recipe as it makes a large pot full and we can eat it for a few days. If you want to serve it in these adorable pumpkin gourds, I suggest using small bowls inside the gourds for protection from strong flavors that seep into the soup. Pair it with a homemade baguette using my artisan bread recipe! Or make personal bread bowls by dividing my bread recipe into four! (See the end of this post for pumpkin bread bowl cuteness.

Creamy Corn Chowder

Makes: 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

• 6 slices thick bacon
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 3 medium red potatoes, diced
• 3-4 cups frozen sweet corn kernels
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup half & half

Directions:

1. Cook the bacon until crispy, chop it into bits, and set aside. Reserve the bacon grease.
2. In a large soup pot, add the reserved bacon grease, onion, celery, and bell pepper. Cook until the vegetables are soft and fragrant. Add the potatoes, bacon, corn, thyme, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Stir to combine.
3. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir until thickened for a few minutes.
4. Add the chicken broth and bay leaf, and bring to a boil stirring constantly until smooth. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender for an additional 25 minutes.
5. Remove the bay leaf, stir in the half & half and cook until hot.
6. Serve hot! If you want to use the small gourds as bowls, use small bowls inside the gourds for protection from the strong gourd flavors that will seep into the soup.

*This recipe is adapted from myrecipes

Not into the gourds? Try these personal pumpkin bread bowls instead! I used this recipe for my artisan bread and divided the dough into 4 parts. Shape the pumpkins using cooking string!