Creamy Summer Corn Chowder

Creamy summer corn chowder is the perfect summertime soup, made with vegetables like zucchini, yellow squash, potatoes and fresh corn.

Corn chowder is a summer staple in our house just like pumpkin pie in the fall.

Easy to make, this creamy summer squash & corn chowder is loaded with flavor from fresh veggies, herbs and cheddar cheese.

(‘cause ya know, cheese makes everything better)

Being from New England, it isn’t summer till you take a drive down to the beach and get some clam cakes and chowder, or if you’re from RI, “chowdahh”.

As much as I love clam chowder, corn chowder reallyyy gives me the summertime feels.

I think it has to do with being made with fresh summer vegetables and herbs that I love getting from my local farm down the street.  

Summer corn chowder is thick and creamy, made with fresh vegetables, ground chorizo, and finished with tangy sour cream and a pop of lemon zest.

How to make easy corn chowder:

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, add ground chorizo and vegetables.  Cook until vegetables have slightly softened, about 10 minutes.
2. Stir in garlic and flour, cook 1 minute.
3. Whisk in water and bring mixture to a boil.  Add potatoes, corn kernels and seasonings.  Turn down to medium low and simmer 25-30 min or until potatoes are fork tender.
4.  Transfer about 2 cups of the chowder into a blender and blend until smooth (or you can use an immersion blender).  Add back to pot along with half & half, sour cream, cheddar cheese, chives and lemon zest.

Chorizo is a type of pork sausage that's flavored with smoked paprika.  If you can’t find it already ground, you can buy it in links (like sausage) and remove the casing to get the ground meat.

A lot of recipes for summer corn chowder use bacon as the base flavor. 

Now, don’t get me wrong I lovveeee bacon, but for my corn chowder, I like the chorizo because it doesn’t overpower the chowder yet still gives it amazing flavor.

As for the fresh corn kernels, I know it’s way easier to just buy frozen or canned corn and call it a day and totally no judgement here…been there done that!

I will just say the chowder does taste fresher and more flavorful with the fresh corn (just personal opinion). 

What to serve with homemade corn chowder?

I highly recommend baking a batch of these easy cornmeal cheddar biscuits to dunk in your corn chowder.

I followed the recipe exactly but added about ½ cup of fresh herbs like parsley and chives.

They're easy to make and so worth the little bit of effort cause these babies go deliciously with the corn chowder!

I also topped them with my homemade hot honey for even more deliciousness 😉

For more easy summer recipes try:

• Grilled Apricot Bourbon BBQ Chicken Thighs
• Roasted Potato Salad with Bacon & Maple Mayo
• Grilled Summer Vegetable Pasta with Crispy Prosciutto

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Creamy Summer Corn Chowder

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Creamy summer corn chowder is the perfect summertime soup, made with vegetables like zucchini, yellow squash, potatoes and fresh corn.

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Ingredients

• 2 tbsp Butter
• 16 oz Ground Chorizo
• 1 Yellow Onion
• 1 Zucchini, diced
• 1 Yellow Squash, diced
• 1 Bell Pepper, diced
• 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
• ¼ cup Flour
• 5 cups Water
• 1 lb. Yellow Potatoes, cut into 1” cubes (about 4-5 large potatoes)
• 6 cups Corn Kernels, fresh or frozen; if fresh, about 8 ears
• 1 tsp Fresh Thyme
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Pepper
• 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
• ½ cup Half & Half
• ½ cup Sour Cream
• 1 tsp Lemon Zest
• 1 cup Chives, chopped thin (plus more for serving)
• 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded (plus more for serving)

Instructions

1. Heat butter over medium heat. Add chorizo, onions, zucchini, squash and peppers and cook until softened, about 8-10 minutes.
2. Add garlic and flour and cook for about 1 minute, stirring frequently.
3. Slowly whisk in the water and stir until combined. Turn heat up to medium-high and bring mixture to a low boil, stirring constantly.
4. Add potatoes, corn, thyme, bay leaf salt, pepper and paprika. Bring mixture to a boil, then turn heat down to medium-low and simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are fork tender.
5. Discard bay leaf. Transfer 2 cups of the chowder to a blender and blend until smooth (or use an immersion blender). Add back to the pot, then stir in half and half, sour cream, lemon zest, chives and cheddar cheese. Season with more salt and pepper if needed.
6. Serve with extra cheese, chives and cheddar herb biscuits with hot honey (see recipe notes)

Notes

For the Cheddar Herb Biscuits follow this recipe, and add ½ cup fresh parsley/chives.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g

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