Description
A hearty and flavorful creamy corn chowder made with Italian sausage, sweet corn, potatoes, and vegetables simmered in a savory chicken stock and finished with a smooth corn and potato blend. Perfect for a comforting weeknight meal during colder seasons.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat
- 1 lb sweet or spicy Italian sausage
Vegetables
- 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)
Herbs and Spices
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 3 bay leaves
Liquids
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup whole milk
Optional Garnishes
- parsley (optional)
- shredded cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Brown the sausage: In a stockpot over medium heat, brown the Italian sausage, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks. Continue until fully browned, about 6-8 minutes. Drain any excess liquid if more than two tablespoons remain.
- Sauté vegetables: Add the diced celery, onion, and red bell pepper to the browned sausage. Stir and sauté until the vegetables are soft and fragrant, about 4-6 minutes.
- Prepare potatoes and start simmering: Peel or leave the skin on and dice three of the potatoes into ½-inch cubes. Slice the remaining potato into ½-inch wedges for blending later. Add all the potatoes, 2 cups of sweet corn, kosher salt, black pepper, fresh thyme, bay leaves, and chicken stock to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 20-25 minutes.
- Blend mixture: Remove the potato wedges from the soup and combine them with the remaining 2 cups of corn and whole milk. Blend this mixture until smooth, either with an immersion blender or in a standalone blender, then pour it back into the soup pot.
- Warm and serve: Bring the soup back to a gentle simmer and cook for an additional 5 minutes to heat through. Serve hot garnished with fresh parsley and shredded cheese if desired.
Notes
- This soup is a quick and simple comfort food ideal for cold weather.
- Using both diced and blended potatoes creates a nice texture contrast in the chowder.
- You can swap chicken stock for vegetable stock to make it vegetarian-friendly by omitting the sausage.
- Use whole milk for creaminess, but you can substitute with a lower-fat milk if preferred.
- Adjust seasoning with extra salt and pepper as needed before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 404 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg
