Summer Vegetable Chowder
Summer Vegetable Chowder is perfect for those rainy summer days when even though it's still a little warm, a big bowl of soup just sounds so good! It's a great use for all of your summer produce, too!
Okay I know it's August and soup might be the last thing on your mind but just hear me out! I never thought soup would be on our weekly menu either, until a rainy day last week had me rethinking our grilling plans and craving a big bowl of soup.
The great thing about this Summer Vegetable Chowder is that it is PERFECT for all of your summer produce. Whether you have a garden full of zucchini and basil that you need to use, or you picked up some sweet corn and potatoes at the farmers market, this soup has you covered.
How to Make Summer Vegetable Chowder
This soup starts with what all great soups should start with - bacon. Not only do I use the bacon in the soup, but I also kept the bacon grease to sauté all of the vegetables in. Because, why the heck not? Also, it adds so much great flavor!
The next step in making the soup is basically just cooking all of the vegetables. The onion and bell pepper get sautéed. The potatoes, zucchini, and corn are boiled until tender. Then comes my favorite and absolutely essential part of this soup. I take about 2 cups of the vegetable mixture, puree it, and add it back to the soup. This, along with a generous addition of half and half, makes the soup super creamy and chowder-like. It's so delicious!!
This, along with a generous addition of half and half, makes the soup super creamy and chowder-like. It's so delicious!!
How to Serve Summer Vegetable Chowder
We served this soup with warm ciabatta rolls, which were great for dipping, although Lars was completely opposed to this idea - he prefers his rolls slathered with butter. Speaking of Lars, he chowed down on this summer vegetable chowder!
Lars can be a fairly picky eater so when he eats all of his dinner, that is saying something. He exclaimed "I like this soup mama!" while eating it which basically completes my life to hear him say. Soren demolished his bowl as well, per usual. That kid is a garbage disposal.
So if there's a rainy day in the future (or you're just sick of grilling, maybe?), this soup deserves a spot on your dinner table!
Ingredients
- 6 pieces bacon chopped
- 1 white onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper stem and seeds removed, and diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 russet potatoes peeled and cut into small pieces
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 4 ears of fresh sweet corn
- 2 medium zucchini diced
- 1 cup half and half
- ¼ cup fresh basil chopped
Instructions
- Heat dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Add the bacon pieces and cook until crispy.
- Remove the bacon from the dutch oven and place on a plate lined to paper towel to soak up the excess grease.
- Keep the remaining grease in the dutch oven and add the onion and red bell pepper over medium-high heat.
- Cook until they are softened, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic, salt, and pepper, and cook another minute.
- Add the diced potatoes and vegetable broth. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the sweet corn and zucchini and cook another 5-8 minutes, until the vegetables are all softened.
- Add the half and half to the soup, and stir well to combined.
- Remove 2 cups of the soup and add to a food processor or blender and puree. Return to the dutch oven.
- Stir in the bacon and basil.
- Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste
- Serve and enjoy!
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sounds so delicious....and looks so beautiful! Can't wait to try this!