This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission. Please read our disclosure policy.
Why I Love This Corn Chowder
This is an easy soup to fall in love with. Really, this is a simple love affair with ingredients that are easy to find if they aren’t already in the pantry. The more I cook, the more I realize a good recipe is not about the list of hard-to-find or exotic ingredients, but instead about using each ingredient fully to create the most flavor possible.
That’s the reason I love this recipe. Corn is central, left whole for texture, and pureed for a rich, sweet corn flavor.
The rest of the list is simple, with some usual players of onion, celery, and bell pepper. Make this when you want a filling, delicious soup that reminds you of the fresh flavor of summer: sweet corn.
Creamy Corn Chowder Ingredients
- Italian sausage becomes a key figure by using the spices and herbs already seasoning the sausage to season the entire soup.
- Sweet corn can be frozen and thawed or canned. I find frozen to have the best out-of-season flavor. I love to freeze sweet corn and find it to be such a great thing to have in the freezer.
- Bell pepper is a sweet pepper flavor without any heat. Choose a red or green for the most appealing color in the soup.
- Potatoes give the chowder more heft and make the soup more filling. Some of the potato is blended with the sweet corn for a creamy texture.
The full amount of each ingredient can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make Creamy Corn Chowder
Step 1: Cook the sausage – Place the sausage in a large stockpot over medium heat. Break it up and let it cook for 6-8 minutes, until the fat has rendered out and it begins to brown.
Step 2: Prepare the vegetables – Slice the celery lengthwise into quarters, then dice into small bite-sized pieces. Dice the onion and bell pepper into similar-sized pieces. Add to the sausage to cook.
Step 3: Prepare the potatoes – Peel the potatoes and cut one into long strips. Cut the rest into bite-sized pieces and add to the pot. Add in half the sweet corn, along with salt and black pepper. Stir in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add in thyme and bay leaves. Cook until the potatoes are tender. Remove the potato that was cut into strips and add it to a bowl with the remainder of the corn. Add in the milk and blend until smooth.
Step 4: Finish the assembly – Stir the blended mixture in the stockpot. Turn up the heat slightly and bring back to a simmer. Remove the thyme and bay leaves. Serve warm, garnished with parsley and shredded cheese, if desired.
Recipe Tips
- Cutting one potato into long slices instead of diced pieces makes it easier to remove later. Some potato is needed to blend in with some of the sweet corn and milk, and it is simpler to pull out long strips after they have cooked.
- Add in any additional liquid from the sweet corn. That liquid holds a lot of flavor from the corn and can help boost the soup.
- Herbs can make a big difference. Adding in the thyme and bay leaves to cook allows them to release their flavors into the soup. Garnishing fresh parsley into the warm soup at the end also provides great flavor.
- Blending some of the potato and sweet corn with milk gives the soup a great creaminess. This means the soup can be thickened without using flour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Leftovers should be stored in airtight containers in the refrigerator and will last for 3-4 days.
Frozen sweet corn or canned sweet corn is always available. When in season, fresh corn can also be used but will need to be cooked before being blended with the potato.
Yes, the sausage can be replaced with a meat substitute or omitted for a vegetarian version.
More Soup Recipes
- Healthy chicken tortilla soup
- Loaded baked potato soup
- Roasted tomato soup
- Slow cooker squash soup
- Beef and barley soup
- Roasted carrot soup
- Easy taco soup
- Ham and potato chowder
Have I Convinced You to Make This Recipe?
I hope you make this recipe and put some food on your table. Leave a comment and share a star rating so you can let others know how much you love this recipe. This helps show others that this is a recipe they, too, can make, enjoy, and love!
Creamy Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 1 lb sweet or spicy Italian sausage
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 4 russet or gold potatoes washed and dried
- 4 cups sweet corn (canned or frozen)
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup whole milk
- parsley (optional)
- shredded cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Brown the sausage in a stockpot over medium heat. Break into small pieces until it is fully browned, 6-8 minutes. If more than two tbsp of liquid remains after browning, discard the extra.1 lb sweet or spicy Italian sausage
- Add the diced celery, diced onion, and diced bell pepper to the browned sausage. Stir and sauté until they are soft, 4-6 minutes.2 stalks celery, 1 onion, 1 red bell pepper
- Peel or leave the skin on and dice three of the potatoes into ½-inch cubes. Sliced the remaining potatoes into ½-inch wedges so they are easier to find and blend after they cook. Add all of the prepared potatoes, 2 cups of sweet corn, salt, black pepper, thyme, bay leaves, and chicken stock to the stockpot. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are tender or when a knife inserted meets no resistance.4 russet or gold potatoes, 4 cups sweet corn (canned or frozen), 1 ½ tsp kosher salt, 1 sprig fresh thyme, 3 bay leaves, 3 cups chicken stock, ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- Remove the wedges of potato and combine them with the remaining 2 cups of corn and whole milk. Blend until they are smooth, and pour the mixture into the soup. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes to warm. Serve with fresh parsley and shredded cheese.4 cups sweet corn (canned or frozen), 1 cup whole milk, parsley (optional), shredded cheese (optional)
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment below!
Delicious! Thank you Kaleb for another great recipe.
Have made this soup twice this week! Followed the recipe exactly. So delicious and easy to make! Thank you for an amazing recipe!
Made this tonight and it was a hit. Easy and delicious. I substituted carrots for the pepper it was just fine.