Creamy Sweet Corn and Potato Chowder
Try this Creamy Sweet Corn and Potato Chowder recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Creamy Sweet Corn and Potato Chowder recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- salt and pepper
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 6 slices bacon chopped
- 1 small carrot chopped
- 1 large shallot chopped
- 1/2 cup milk (any kind)
- 6 cups cauliflower florets
- 1 tablespoon butter or extra virgin olive oil
- 1 stalk celery shopped
- 4 cups frozen hash browns
- 2 cups sweet corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
- Carbohydrate 49.0480308333333 g
- Cholesterol 1186.1925 mg
- Fat 254.231826666667 g
- Fiber 7.4289582738479 g
- Protein 298.0169125 g
- Saturated Fat 74.5822423333333 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (1972g)
- Sodium 1547.86264322917 mg
- Sugar 41.6190725594854 g
- Trans Fat 22.3433948333333 g
- Calories 3740 calories
Step-by-step
- Bring chicken broth to a boil in a large soup pot then add cauliflower. Place lid on top then cook until cauliflower is fork-tender (don't overcook.) Meanwhile, melt butter (or extra virgin olive oil, if using) in a small skillet over medium heat then add garlic and saute until golden brown, about 1 minute.
- Carefully transfer cooked cauliflower and 4 cups chicken broth, reserving remaining cup broth, to a blender (may need to do two batches if blender is small) then add garlic butter, milk, and salt. Blend until very smooth, 1-2 minutes, then set aside.
- In the same soup pot, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain then remove all but 2 teaspoons bacon grease. Add carrots, celery, and shallots, season with salt and pepper, and then saute until tender, 5-6 minutes.
- Add cauliflower sauce, reserved cup of broth, and hash browns to the pot then place a lid on top, turn heat up to medium-high, bring chowder to a bubble and cook until potatoes are tender, 8-10 minutes. Add sweet corn then cook until warmed through. Stir cooked bacon into chowder then ladle into bowls.
Traditional chowders rely on heavy roux or copious heavy cream to achieve body, but this variation builds viscosity by pureeing boiled cauliflower with milk and garlic butter. Boiling the cauliflower until it yields completely to a fork ensures that no residual graininess remains when the mixture goes into the blender. Rendering the chopped bacon in the soup pot first leaves behind precisely two teaspoons of fat to sweat the carrots, celery, and shallots, extracting maximum aromatic potential without wasting resources. Swapping the butter for extra virgin olive oil alters the lipid profile and introduces a fruity undertone that changes the flavor balance entirely. Assessing the doneness of the frozen hash browns requires monitoring texture rather than probing with a thermometer; they are ready when a piece pressed against the side of the pot yields with zero internal resistance. Whole milk works identically to skim in the purée stage because the emulsified cauliflower provides the necessary mouthfeel regardless of dairy fat percentage. Simmering the sweet corn only briefly at the very end preserves its snap and prevents the natural sugars from scorching against the bottom of the pot.
