Corn and Cheddar Cheese Chowder is a comforting cheesy soup perfect for the first chilly days of fall. use fresh corn when in season, and frozen during the rest of the year.
Corn and Cheddar Cheese Chowder is one of the first meals I ever made for myself, and it continues to be a beloved favorite ~ I can’t wait for you to try it!
I make this chowder all year round, but right now is the ideal time to enjoy it, when corn is still fabulous but our thoughts are starting to turn toward fall. Yes, it’s made with cream, but it is hearty enough to be a dinner all by itself. I served ours with earthy Pumpernickel Biscuits. (I’ll be posting the recipe for them on Tuesday) The recipe, below, is slightly adapted from the original, which was inevitable because I have been making it for years and have adjusted it to suit my particular tastes. One thing I have never changed, however, is the unusual combination of sage, cumin seed and nutmeg which gives the soup a unique flavor profile.
This soup is a simple combination of ingredients that is so good, I hope you give it a try. I like to usher in the fall with a big bowl. For my interview with Anna, though, I think I’ll branch out and choose a recipe that I’ve never tried from The Vegetarian Epicure books, any ideas?
“Just made this for dinner, delicious! Perfect for the fall weather upon us. Love the nutmeg touch.”
Yvonne
More cozy soups on the blog ~
Corn and Cheddar Cheese Chowder
Ingredients
- 3 medium white thin skinned potatoes, diced (no need to peel)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp dried sage
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 ears of corn, kernels removed
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 Tbsp flour, leave out for gluten free
- splash of dry white wine
- 1 1/4 cups cream, or half and half
- 1 1/2 cups sharp white cheddar cheese, grated (the sharper the better)
- 1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
- fresh cracked black pepper to taste
- fresh parsley
- fresh chives
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, place the potatoes, bay leaves, sage, cumin seed and salt. Add water to just barely cover the potatoes and bring to a boil. Cook for about 10 minutes until the potatoes are mostly cooked but still firm. They will continue cooking in the soup. Add a little more water if the level sinks too low.
- In a stock pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions until they are softened. Add the flour and cook for a minute. Add the splash of wine and continue to cook until the liquid has evaporated. Whisk in the cream, making sure to get all the flour and onions off the bottom of the pan and incorporated into the cream.
- Add the potatoes and their water along with the corn kernels. Add the nutmeg and pepper and bring it up to a simmer. Simmer gently for about 10 minutes, until the corn is tender. Stir often and make sure it doesn’t boil furiously. It should be kept at a gentle simmer.
- Remove the bay leaves and stir in the chopped parsley and chives. Take off the heat, add the cheese and stir until it is melted. It is important to taste the soup now and adjust the seasonings. Serve the soup garnished with a little more chopped chives.
Notes
This soup is good enough to warrant some experimentation to find your perfect blend. I’ve made it many different combinations of milk, cream and half and half, depending on my mood.
This recipe is slightly adapted from The Vegetarian Epicure, by Anna Thomas
Nutrition
Thanks for pinning this corn and cheddar cheese chowder!
Will this sit on a buffet in a crockpot without curdling?
You’d have to have it set so that the soup won’t be simmering or boiling. Most crockpots have a low or keep warm setting that should do the trick.
This is perhaps my favorite recipe from the Vegetarian Epicure. I have made it many many times in fall and winter
It’s a timeless classic for us too ~ it doesn’t get any better!
There’s nothing in the directions that mentions what to do with the cheese….. Is it supposed to be in the soup? Just a topping?
That’s in step 4.
I got it into my head to have a simple down home Christmas dinner with a hearty chowder and crusty bread and butter as its centerpiece. (Seemed fitting for the times.) Found this recipe and… IT’S THE BEST SOUP EVER! (I’ve never ever written a comment before, so I must be feeling it!) Used fresh sage – that and the mint being the only things to survive my failed attempts at gardening – and I think it subtlety enriched the flavor. Nice!
Nothing better than getting a ‘non-commenter’ to comment. It happens to be an old favorite of mine, too, Olli.
I just made this and it is yummy. However I simplified the procedure as follows. I boiled the unpeeled potatoes in a pot of bailing water while in another pot I cooked the onion in the butter and also added a couple cloves of garlic minced. Then the other dry ingredients and the flour and gradually added milk ( cutting down of calories in cream ) which essentially makes it into what we used to call a white sauce but thinned to how you like it. Added the corn and the cooked and cut up potatoes. I didn’t have any cumin. Remember to “correct” the seasoning i.e. salt and pepper after bringing it all together.
Thanks for sharing your version, J. 🙂
Just made this for dinner, delicious! Perfect for the fall weather upon us. Love the nutmeg touch.
It’s been a family favorite in our house for so many years, glad you liked it!
I’m positively drooling over this, Sue! Just a lovely, hearty use for all the corn that’s on and popping at my local farm stands these days! Fantastic recipe!!