This summer vegetable chowder is loaded with summer vegetables like zucchini and corn. It’s simple to make and perfect for a summer soup!
As the months get warmer I love “summer soups”. Summer soups to me are soups that are either lighter in general or use summer vegetables. Corn is a summer vegetable that takes me back to my childhood. Our family friends would have a big 4th of July party and my grandpa’s best friend Neil would sit in the kitchen with TONS of cobs. He had this huge pan full of butter and salt he would roll the cobs in. It was delicious. Every time I eat corn on the cob I smile and think about camp.
While it’s not quite corn on the cob season yet it’s feeling more like summer. So to to kick of the warmer weather I wanted to make a soup loaded with veggies and some corn. I decided to whip up a summer vegetable chowder to satisfy my cravings.
Eat the rainbow
There is a phrase “eat the rainbow”. The concept is if you eat food from all different colors you get different nutrients. For example red vegetables are often loaded with Vitamin C, orange with Vitamin A and so on. Since we eat a ton of vegetables and fruits we inherently are eating the rainbow every day.
This summer vegetable chowder gives you the rainbow without even trying:
- Green – celery and zucchini
- Yellow – corn
- Orange – carrots
- White – onions and potatoes
All of the vegetables add a variety of nutrients plus taste good when they are all combined.
Putting it together
The soup comes together rather quickly. The hardest part honestly is chopping all the veggies. However there are a few things I do now to make my life easier:
- Use my food processor to dice veggies – I have linked it in several of my posts but this food processor is my absolute new favorite gadget. I think I use the dicing feature more than the regular blade. It makes the zucchini and potato uniform sizes in no time!
- If fresh corn isn’t in season or if you are in a time crunch use frozen corn
- Store bought broth – while I do try to make my own I always have store bought on hand
The veggies are sautéed up and then the broth and potatoes are added to cook. Once the potatoes are cooked the corn gets added at the end with a splash of heavy cream for a little sweetness you would expect in a chowder.
And that’s it! This summer vegetable chowder comes together quickly. Plus it’s even better the next day for leftovers. So if you are in the mood for a summer soup be sure to try this recipe out. Also remember, if you do try it be sure to share it, rate it and tag me on Instagram!
Summer Vegetable Chowder
- Total Time: 40M
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Description
This summer vegetable chowder is loaded with summer vegetables like zucchini and corn. It’s simple to make and perfect for a summer soup!
Ingredients
- 6–8 ribs of celery, thin sliced
- 1 c grated carrots
- 1 yellow onion, small dice
- 3 zucchini, small dice
- 4 russet potatoes (about 2 lbs), peeled and small dice (if russets aren’t available use Yukon golds instead)
- 8 cloves garlic
- 2 bay leaves
- 6–8 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1/4 c flour
- 6–8 c veggie or chicken broth
- 1.5 c cheddar cheese
- 1.5 c frozen corn or shaved off the cob
- 1/4 c heavy cream
- chives to top with
Instructions
- In a large soup pan with 1 TBS olive oil or butter sauté celery, carrots, yellow onion over medium to medium low heat until soft 8-10 min
- Wrap thyme and bay leaf together with a little kitchen twine (if you don’t have you can just put directly in the soup you just may have to pick the stems out later!) add to the veggies with the garlic
- Add in flour and stir around so the flour cooks for 1-2 minutes and is not raw anymore
- Add in potatoes and zucchini and enough broth to cover up all the veggies (about 5-6 cups), bring temperature up to medium high until the soup comes to a gentle boil
- Once the potatoes are mostly cooked (check with a fork, should take 8-10 mins) turn heat back to medium low add in the corn, let cook a few minutes
- If the soup is too thick at this point you can thin out with even more broth if necessary
- Stir in heavy cream and a little cheese at a time stirring to incorporate thoroughly
- Top with fresh chives
Notes
- For a vegan option omit the heavy cream and cheese
- The soup with thicken up as it sits and even more so overnight – I like to thin mine out with a little broth if I reheat the next day
- Prep Time: 10M
- Cook Time: 30M
- Category: soup
Keywords: vegetarian, soup, chowder, vegetables, potatoes, corn, summer
