Lighter Broccoli, Potato & Corn Chowder

This lighter chowder made with hearty potatoes, fresh broccoli and corn uses just a splash of milk for the signature creaminess. If you are feeling indulgent, top it with bits of crisp bacon and shredded cheese. Perfect comfort soup for the cooler months ahead!

I have a love-hate relationship with soups. There, I said it. It seems to be the unwritten rule that every foodie worth her (or his) salt has to be a lover of soups and salads. Which, I am not. But, give me a bowl bursting with flavors, thoughtfully put together ingredients, fragrant and hot, and I’ll dive right in. So, you get it. It’s bad soup that I cannot stand!

I have a soft corner for Asian/Oriental spiced broth-like soups. But sometimes, nothing satisfies you like a bowl of creamy goodness. And the only thing that comes to mind then is a loaded chowder.

Chowder can get pretty calorific quickly with all the butter, flour, milk, cream and cheese involved. So, what if I told you that you could have a lighter chowder, loaded with flavor? And yes, you can have a spot of bacon as well. You’ve earned it!

This light chowder soup begins by sweating some onions and garlic in olive oil. While olive oil in chowder may sound ridiculous to some, it is all about building the flavors. Add some fresh rosemary, a bit of oregano and you have a fragrant thing going on already.

I did make a very basic roux, but you can omit that as well. Because I am about to show you  a neat trick which will make this potato soup naturally thick and creamy.

Once your potatoes are nice and tender, cooked in the stock (chicken or vegetable), transfer some of it to a blend and blend till smooth. And that my friends, is how you make your potato chowder naturally creamy. Now add the broccoli and corn and cook till tender-crisp, a teeny-tiny splash of milk and cheese, and you are good to go.

It was all a bit too good to be true. So I crisped up some bacon and added it to our bowls. It was mostly for the little one who loves bacon! But hey, if it will get him to eat broccoli soup, then so be it. Call this what you want, soup or chowder, it is simply a bowl of delicious goodness!

Lighter Broccoli, Potato & Corn Chowder

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

This lighter chowder made with hearty potatoes, fresh broccoli and corn uses just a splash of milk for the signature creaminess. If you are feeling indulgent, top it with bits of crisp bacon and shredded cheese. Perfect comfort soup for the cooler months ahead!

Author: Anjana Devasahayam

Recipe type: Soup

Cuisine: American

Serves: 4

You will need:

• Olive oil - 1 tbsp
• Onion - 1, chopped
• Garlic - 1 clove, chopped
• Fresh rosemary - 1 tsp, chopped
• Dried oregano - ½ tsp
• Flour - 2 tbsp
• Chicken or vegetable stock - 4 cups
• Potato - 2, diced
• Broccoli florets - 1 small head
• Corn kernels - ½ cup
• Salt - to taste
• Milk - ½ cup
• Shredded cheese - ¼ cup, plus some extra for serving
• Fresh parsley leaves - a few, chopped
• Bacon - 3-4 strips, crisped and chopped (optional)

How to:

1. Heat oil in a soup pot. Add onion and garlic. Saute for few minutes till onions are soft. Add rosemary and oregano and give it a stir.
2. On medium-low heat, add the flour, stir and cook for a couple of minutes till browned lightly.
3. Whisk in the chicken stock. Add potatoes and salt to taste (depends on how salty your stock is to begin with).
4. Cook covered for 20 minutes till potatoes are tender. Transfer to blender jar, reserving some of the potatoes pieces and blend till smooth.
5. Return blended soup and reserved potato pieces to the soup pot. Add broccoli and corn and cook till broccoli is tender, 5-6 minutes.
6. Add milk and allow to warm through. Stir in cheese and remove from heat.
7. Serve hot or warm, topped with parsley, crispy bacon and more cheese, if you wish.

Notes:

1. If soup is too thick for your liking, add more stock or milk as needed.
2. You can omit making the roux (step 2) but I like the added thickness and creaminess.

3.5.3217

I am taking this bowl of soup over to the Fall soup collective post at Crackle & Temper. Do check out the other recipes as well.

Check out my other soup recipes here.

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I am sharing this over at Fiesta Friday, FoodieFriDIY & Saucy Saturday.