September 26, 2010

Summer Squash and Corn Chowder

We made this last week and couldn't get enough of it. By now you should know I love to make soups and with winter coming up I'm sure I will post more soup recipes. This one was really easy to make and took only 40 minutes. If you don't have apple wood bacon that's ok, but look into getting some soon because it's so good! I really like Oscar Meyer's Super Thick Cut Apple Wood Bacon. This soup is creamy, but has the crunch of the bacon and corn that hit this one out of the park. Now that things are getting cooler it’s a good time to try this because you can still find some summer vegetables at the store. Also soup is really good to make extra of and freeze. Then when you don't have a lot of time to make dinner you just thaw and enjoy. That is exactly what we are doing today with this recipe!

Summer Squash and Corn Chowder


Ingredients
2 slices apple wood-smoked bacon
3/4 cup sliced green onions, divided
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 pound yellow summer squash, chopped
1 pound frozen white and yellow baby corn kernels, thawed and divided
2 1/4 cups 1% low-fat milk, divided
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese

Preparation
1. Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings in pan. Crumble bacon, and set aside. Add 1/2 cup onions, celery, and squash to drippings in pan; sauté 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

2. Reserve 1 cup corn; set aside. Place the remaining corn and 1 cup milk in a blender; process until smooth. Add remaining 1 1/4 cups milk, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to blender; process just until combined. Add pureed mixture and reserved 1 cup corn to pan. Reduce heat to medium; cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/8 teaspoon salt. Ladle about 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 4 bowls; top each serving with about 1 tablespoon bacon, 1 tablespoon remaining onions, and 1 tablespoon cheese.