Corn Chowder

An easy recipe for a hearty Corn Chowder packed with potatoes, bacon and Kielbasa from our contributor, Alice Seuffert of Dining with Alice.

One of my favorite memories of visiting New England was enjoying seafood corn chowder. It always reminds me of family gatherings and feel-good, hearty comfort food. I knew this comfort food classic would be a perfect family-friendly meal by substituting the seafood for sausage.

The soup is easy to assemble and spices are important in this recipe for packing it full of flavor. The Smoked Paprika gives it an added smokiness and it’s a spice that I like to use for kid-friendly meals. It gives a dish heat without making it spicy. The heartiness of the soup comes from potatoes, bacon and kielbasa. When I cook the bacon I like to get it extra crispy so it holds up in the soup. The smoky flavors of the bacon and kielbasa pair well with the sweet corn and creaminess of the half and half. As I note in the recipe, I like to blend some of the corn for added creaminess too.

If I am making this soup for a big family gathering I like to serve it with easy grab and go appetizer sandwiches. One of my most popular recipes is my Baked Ham Sandwiches recipe, the sandwiches are served in Hawaiian slider rolls with ham and cheese and brushed with a buttery ranch sauce. And if it is just our family hanging out, I like to make my Baked Cuban Sandwiches, they are ham, swiss and pickle stuffed sandwiches, brushed with a little butter and mustard.

If you want to save this soup for an easy reheat weeknight meal, save some soup to store in the freezer. Once the soup has cooled, put your desired amount into a gallon resealable bag, let the air out and freeze the bag flat on a cookie sheet in your freezer. This makes the soup bag easy to move around and organize in your freezer.

While we always think of soup as a winter comfort food, this soup would also be an excellent recipe to try in the summer with fresh corn.

Alice Seuffert is an education researcher, television foodie and blogger who writes about parenting and creative comfort food at Dining with Alice.  She is the author of Freezer Meals for Moms and you can connect with her via her Email Newsletter, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

Corn Chowder

• Yield: 8-10 1x

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Ingredients

• 12 ounces Bacon (cooked and chopped)
• 8 TB butter
• 1 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• ½ tsp Ground Pepper
• 2 tsp Salt, divided
• 3/4 tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1 cup Flour
• 48 ounces Chicken Stock
• 8 russet potatoes (cubed into small pieces, makes about 8 cups)
• 6 cups corn, divided
• 12 ounces Kielbasa
• 2 cups Half and Half
• 1 TB Sugar
• Garnish: Fresh Parsley

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Instructions

1. In a stockpot over medium heat, cook bacon, once browned, remove and drain fat.
2. Heat over stockpot on low heat and melt butter. Add onion powder, garlic powder, ground pepper, 1 tsp salt and smoked paprika. Add flour to stockpot and stir to create a paste. Paste should stick together and be clumpy.
3. Gradually add broth and whisk with paste clumps. Add cubed potatoes to stockpot.
4. In a blender, combine 2 cups water and 2 cups of corn. Once blended, add mixture to stockpot. Turn heat up to medium-high and bring mix to a boil and cook until the potatoes are cooked (10-15 minutes).
5. Add in remaining 4 cups of corn, kielbasa, and cooked bacon (reserve some bacon for topping if desired). Turn heat down to low and add half and half. Add remaining 1 tsp salt and 1 TB sugar.
6. Garnish with chopped parsley and remaining bacon.