Fresh Corn Zucchini Chowder
A simple corn zucchini chowder with tons of diced potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, and celery. I’m kicking it up a few notches with diced jalapeños too! This summer chowder is bomb.
Tons of pearly corn kernels and zucchini squash in this fresh corn zucchini chowder.
And let’s also talk about the potatoes, onions, celery, and carrots, garlic, and jalapeños — yes JALAPEÑOS that go into this chowder. When do we ever do boring, bland, or tasteless food around here? What you’re getting in this one bowl is veggies up the wazoo. with tons of potatoes, fresh kernels of corn. Its seriously, unbelievably good.
But before I get to the recipe, how was your weekend? Did you do anything great? Us? If you follow me on snapchat (username: littlespicejar), you know that we spent most of Saturday and a part of Sunday painting/redoing our powder room/half bathroom. I always find it so weird to call it a powder room. What the what? Anyway we painted it a beautiful shade of calming, sea foamy green, which I know probably sounds terrible but gosh! It’s alllllll over Pinterest and it makes any room in the house come instantly alive. The paint color is called “Sea Salt” by Sherwin Williams. Has anyone painted a room with that color? Tell me i’m not the only one that’s bought a 5 gallon tub of it and ready to paint the entire house with that color if it was left up to me.
Anyway back to the corn zucchini chowder. Soup is a regular affair around here minus the super hot summer months because it’s just BOILING in Houston at times. But way too often I find myself craving a warm bowl of something with tons of creaminess and chunky veggies to boot. I love that I can sneak in tons of veggies into a hearty chowder and the hubby will eat it right up. The man LOVES a good chowder.
I’m a big fan of using corn in soups so it probably goes without saying that traditional corn chowder is one of my all time favorites. This recipe is simple and comes together very quickly. Not only that, it’s also completely vegetarian friendly so #meatlessmonday is on point right now. Another thing I love about this corn zucchini chowder is that it uses all fresh, seasonal produce. The zucchini’s are a beaut right now! My local farmers market/grocery stores are bursting with fresh squash at the moment. And you already know that corn has summer written allllll over it.
The key to making a perfect corn chowder is the balance of creamed veggies and chunky bites. I like to purée about 1/2 of my soup in a food processor before adding in the half and half so that some of the veggies are whole while others blend completely to make the perfect silky chowder texture.
Last note, the jalapeños I used are completely option, for a more traditional corn zucchini chowder, just leave them out. But we love a little southern style kick so I highly urge you to give it a go with the peppers!
Enjoy!
Fresh Corn Zucchini Chowder
A simple corn zucchini chowder with tons of diced potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, and celery. I'm kicking it up a few notches with a little cayenne and jalapeños too!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 1/4 cup yellow onions, diced
- 1/2 cup carrots, diced
- 1/2 cup celery, diced
- 4 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeńo, diced (remove seeds/ribs before to control spice)
- 3/4 lb. yukon gold potatoes, diced
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 large zucchini, diced
- 2 1/2 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
- 1 cup half and half or heavy cream
- fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven, heat the butter over medium high heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the vegetables soften. Add the garlic, jalapenos, and potatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring so the veggies don't stick to the pot.
- Add the broth, bay leaf, and thyme, bring to a boil. Cover, lower the heat and let simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the potatoes are half way cooked. Add the zucchini and corn kernels and continue to cook for an additional 5-7 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through. You can check the doneness by gently piercing with the tip of a knife.
- Remove the bay leaf, transfer 2 cups or more (see notes) into a food processor and process until smooth. Pour the blended mixture back into the pot. Heat the soup over medium high heat, add the half and half and let come to a gentle simmer. Serve topped with fresh parsley and smoked paprika if desired.
Notes
- You can blend all or none of the chowder as well. This is completely to your preference! Use more or less jalapeños to preference too!
IS THIS A GOOD CHOICE FOR YOU?
Really Awesome base for a hearty soup! But there was ZERO salt in the recipe. Was that on purpose? All those veggies need some salt.
This looks delicious!! Any changes if I make this early in the day for dinner later?
Made this and it turned out fantastic! I didn’t have thyme, so I used a few shakes of dried oregano, basil and rosemary. I sprinkled shaved Parmesan cheese on top just before eating. Yum.
This recipe is amazing! So flavorful and fresh
This looks great! If using frozen corn, do you thaw it first before adding or put it right in frozen? Thank you!
Made this soup and it was great. Added some diced linguica that Ipan-fried and it was good, just another level of taste and texture. Great recipe.
Came across your recipe on Pinterest, since I had some of these veggies on hand, I decided to make your recipe. It was so good, I skipped the Jalapeno since my mom doesn’t do hot/spicy. I used an immersion blender and blender more than directed. We both loved this chowder, will definitely make again.
Wonderful recipe!! Was searching for some way to use my garden squash & jalapeños. I substituted coconut cream instead of the half and half and it was perfection! Thank you!
I made this recipe with just a couple of slight tweaks! I sauteed onion, carrots and celery in olive oil rather than butter.
I went with the vegetable broth. And I substituted the heavy cream/half and half for milk with a little cornstarch to reduce the fat.
There were NO LEFTOVERS it was a keeper!