Summer Fresh Corn and Zucchini Chowder

Alright, year-round soup lovers, this one’s for you! The only thing “wintery” about this soup is the fact that it’s soup…everything else screams summery goodness! The super fresh corn and zucchini particularly. The sweet pop of that fresh corn…you can’t beat it! Frozen corn is a great substitute in those cold months when fresh isn’t available, but the difference between fresh corn and frozen corn is huge.

I could prooooobs eat it every day.

Corn chowder is usually a relatively heavy soup. It’s thick, it’s creamy, it’s loaded with hearty potatoes and savory bacon. I’m a very, very large fan of that traditional, comfort food corn chowder, but we make some changes in this one to make it fresh and summery without compromising any of that delicious flavor.

First things first, this soup is thinner than the traditional corn chowder. We still use a roux to thicken it a bit, but it’s not quite as thick and creamy as the winter, comfort food version. Our soup base skips the bacon and instead sticks with onion, garlic, celery, red bell pepper, and jalapeno. We still use potato, but we use one russet potato versus several like I’d normally use if it was snowing and chilly outside.

That simmers away until the potato is cooked, we stir in our roux, and then we throw in our zucchini and fresh-from-the-ground corn. We let that cook juuuuuust until the veggies tenderize a bit, and then we add a splash of half and half, and we’re done!

If you never thought soup could be summery, think again friends! This is the PERFECT summer dinner. It’s fast, it’s easy, it’s fresh, and those pops of fresh corn and bites of zucchini hit the spot.

And now it’s story time, because something hilarious happened this past week that I have to share with you. Hilarious, but also requiring quite the cleanup for me. So Ford was playing on the floor, and I came into the kitchen to make some food. I was in there for maaaaybe ten minutes, probably less.

Then I walk back into the living room to check on a suspiciously quiet Ford, and I find that he has pulled a box of donuts off of the couch, opened them, and absolutely decimated every single one (there were five donuts…rest in peace, sweet little circles of pastry happiness). There was donut ALL over the rug, all over the floor, and – more than anything – all over Fordy.

At the moment I walked over, he had one huge donut chunk in each little chubby fist, one of which was being smashed in his mouth. His face was covered from top to bottom in donut pieces and crumbs, and his clothes were destroyed. Every exposed inch of skin was sticky from glaze. And he was just sitting there smiling up at me, feeling zero percent guilty 😂.

Luckily, I was able to just sit there and laugh with him about it because obviously there was no intentional bad behavior in his little ten month old brain – he had zero idea he was doing anything wrong – so I was allowed to crack up at him and take pictures instead of pretending it was bad like I would have had to do if he was two or three.

Shortly after, he took a nap and the cleanup process begun. Totes worth it, because it was adorable and definitely something I’ll always remember.

Have the best Wednesday everyone!

Summer Fresh Corn and Zucchini Chowder

• Author: Annie Chesson
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, minced
• 2 stalks celery, minced
• 1 russet potato, peeled and diced
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 4 ears of fresh corn, kernels sliced off
• 6 cups chicken (or veggie) stock (1 32 oz box + 2 cups)
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup half and half
• Basil – optional garnish

Instructions

1. Add some olive oil to a large pot over medium high heat
2. Add your bell pepper, onion, garlic, jalapeno, and celery – along with some salt and pepper – and let these veggies saute, stirring often, until softened
3. Add your potato, season with more salt and pepper, and stir to combine
4. Pour in your chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for 10 minutes
5. When there are a few minutes left, add your zucchini
6. Meanwhile, melt your butter in a bowl and whisk in your flour. Set aside
7. When the time is up, whisk in your butter and flour mixture (roux) to the soup until fully combined (make sure you use a whisk or it could get clumpy). Add your corn at this point, too
8. Let this simmer for 5 more minutes, until the soup is thickened just a bit and the corn and zucchini are tender
9. Stir in your half and half, season to taste with salt and pepper, and garnish with fresh basil (optional)

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups
• Calories: 211
• Sugar: 7 g
• Sodium: 942 mg
• Fat: 11 g
• Carbohydrates: 25 g
• Fiber: 3 g
• Protein: 5 g
• Cholesterol: 28 mg

If you make this or any of my other recipes, be sure to Instagram it and hashtag #thegarlicdiaries!

In the mood for more yummy soup recipes? Check these out:

Roasted Root Vegetable Soup with Fried Sage Leaves

Spicy Curried Carrot Soup

Cheesy Potato Soup