Cauliflower Corn Chowder
Cauliflower Corn Chowder is a lightened up chowder, full of vegetables, bacon, and flavor!
We're nearing soup season and I couldn't be more excited about it! For one, I love soup leftovers. For some reason they're just way more appealing than regular leftovers.
Second, that means lots of slow cooker and Instant Pot recipes. This is going to come in handy for us since we are doing our kitchen renovation this fall. We're going to have 3+ months of a temporary, very bare-bones kitchen, so I am going to take full advantage of my slow cooker and Instant Pot.
Last, I just love all of the different ways you can make soup. Chowders are one of my favorites because they're a combination of creamy and chunky. However, I'm not a fan of when chowders are full of cream. Delicious, sure. But I always try to lighten them up a little bit.
How to Make Cauliflower Corn Chowder
This recipe starts with the one and only: BACON! It adds so much flavor! A note for vegetarians: yes this can definitely be made without bacon. It obviously won't have that bacon flavor but that's kind of the point, right? 🙂 Instead of the bacon grease to saute the vegetables, just use about 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil.
So you'll brown the bacon and then keep the bacon grease in the soup pot because that is used to saute the onions and garlic. Mmmmmm I can already smell the deliciousness happening!
After that, you simply add the cauliflower, potatoes, corn, and broth, and simmer until the cauliflower and potatoes are tender. I used fresh sweet corn that I cut off the cob, but you can use frozen or canned if you like.
To get the soup creamy and thick, you will puree about 2 cups of the soup in a blender and then add it back to the soup along with a flour and milk slurry. It's so creamy without any cream!
To serve the Cauliflower Corn Chowder, we topped ours with that crispy bacon, some green onions or parsley, and shredded cheese. This soup is hearty, lightened up, and absolutely delicious!
Like this recipe? Check these out, too!
Chicken Bacon and Corn Chowder
Truffle Cauliflower Soup with Crispy Kale
Instant Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup from Belle of the Kitchen
Cheesy Vegetable Chowder from Life Made Simple Bakes
Cauliflower Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 5 slices bacon cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 white onion diced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 head cauliflower chopped
- 3 red potatoes diced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups corn kernels
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Fresh parsley chopped, for topping
Instructions
- Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat.
- Add the chopped bacon and cook until crispy.
- Remove the bacon from the pot, leaving the bacon fat.
- Add the chopped onion and salt to the bacon fat and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook another minute.
- Add the cauliflower, diced potatoes, corn, and chicken broth.
- Bring to a boil, cover, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes and cauliflower are tender.
- Transfer 2 cups of the cauliflower/potato/corn/broth mixture to a blender and puree.
- Add the puree back to the soup pot.
- In a mason jar, add the milk and flour, and vigorously shake until combined.
- Add the milk and flour mixture to the soup pot. Boil for 5 minutes, or until thickened.
- Stir in shredded cheese and ½ of the bacon.
- Serve in soup bowls topped with bacon and chopped parsley.
- Enjoy!
