Corn, Zucchini, & Bacon Chowder
Corn, Zucchini, & Bacon Chowder. Kicking off the holiday weekend early with a summer soup…and a cocktail…of course !! A creamy, herby chowder loaded with russet potatoes, crispy thick-cut bacon, sweet corn, and summer squash. Garnished with fresh chives and basil leaves. Summery recipes are a must to get a holiday weekend started and who doesn’t love a good summer chowder?! Cheers !!
So technically Labor Day weekend is not the last weekend of summer. But in everyone’s mind Labor Day weekend is basically the last weekend of summer. I think this mindset always came from when we were all younger and the fact that labor day meant back to school time and back to school time meant summer was over. I also have always associated the month of September with fall and school…I think most people do.
BUT regardless if you’re totally ready for the new season or not…I am sticking with summer. And Labor Day still feels like summer to me especially since I am no longer in school. So, this weekend I will definitely be bringing out the summer recipes. Honestly you will probably be seeing summer recipes from us for most, if not all, of September.
So a summer chowder recipe it is! Today is the official start to my holiday weekend since I have off on Fridays. It’s great because it turns the long weekend into a super long weekend. And I am back at the beach after those crazy storms we had last night from the hurricane. The weather has cooled down a bit from the storms, so I really wanted to do a summer soup. And I can’t think of anything more summery than a sweet corn chowder. We haven’t made a corn chowder recipe since the spring, and I thought it would be SO wrong if we didn’t do at least one corn chowder for summer!
We like to do a pretty classic corn chowder, the basic chowder ingredients…corn, potatoes, bacon. But today, I wanted to give it a little twist and add some zucchini. This makes it so much more summery and fun.
Creamy, delicious, goodness in a comforting summer bowl to start the weekend right…I am so here for it !! And a cocktail of course !! Hope you all have a great start to your holiday weekend !!
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
4 slices thick-cut bacon
1/2 onion; chopped
2 celery ribs; chopped
1 carrot; chopped
1 garlic clove; minced
2 fresh thyme sprigs
1 large russet potato; diced
1 quart vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
4 ears corn; kernels removed
1 medium zucchini; diced
1 cup half and half
salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper
chopped chives and fresh basil leaves for serving
Directions:
In a large stock pot, melt the butter. Add the bacon and cook until it starts to brown. Add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, and thyme. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, vegetable stock, and bay leaf. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the zucchini and corn. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes
Discard bay leaf. Transfer two cups of the soup to a large bowl and blend using an immersion blender. Stir the pureed mixture back into the pot. Add the half and half. Adjust seasonings and sprinkle with cayenne. Serve garnished with chopped chives and basil leaves.
