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 small 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 soup pan, 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!
Love her books, including the last one, Love Soup
This sounds like a great chowder, I should pin it right away!
My regards to Anna Thomas, I am sure the interview will be great!
I’ll have to try the souffle, I’ve never made it. It’s nice to meet a fellow Vegetarian Epicure lover!
Sorry for the double link… I messed up… (sigh)
Love Love your recipes!!!! Finally recipes with lots of veggies,herbs,grains and fish :)))
Soup was fantastic!!
Keep up the good work!!
That is a unique mix of spices. Can’t wait to try this. Today it got a bit cooler so this may be calling today!
I agree, I think the interesting herb and spice combination is one of the things that makes this soup special.
Now this is just the chowder recipe I’ve been craving and searching for!!
You know I’ve never seen any of the vegetarian epicure books?! So excited for your interview!
Thanks Joanne—you should pick one up if you see it, I’ve gone through several editions because mine fall apart from so much use!
Pinned for the future. We are leaving soup weather behind – hopefully! Looks great though.
Thanks Denise! Enjoy your spring!
This looks so good Sue. I just told my husband that I wasn’t hungry but I’ve just changed my mind!
pretty soup… I can imagine how incredibly stuffed with flavour it is… I too have one or two absolute classics that I used pull out of the hat but since blogging i’ve not done them in ages… my mushroom and chestnut soup is one of them and now i’m inspired to revisit it, so thank you… pretty tiles too by the way !
There are so many old favorites that never get made anymore in our house due to the demands of blogging…I need you to post that mushroom and chestnut soup, my friend!
Hi This looks wonderful. The save feature is working but the print feature does not seem to work today.
So sorry about the printing, I’ll check into it right now, hope you’ll try again!
This does look wonderful. I make a version of this with chicken and bacon but sometimes a meatless option is welcomed by everyone. I can’t wait to see your interview and see the recipe for those biscuits.
Thanks Karen, I think I’ll try bacon in the next one I make. I also sometimes add salmon.
This looks wonderful, Sue! We were thinking along the same lines this week.:) I love a great chowder!