Bacon Corn Chowder

On the menu for my meal prep for the week is a healthy corn chowder. I love a good hearty soup. The problem is soups can be pretty unhealthy and usually are full of salt and fat.

I decided to try a chowder today and I made it healthier by using no salt chicken stock, light butter and fat free half and half. The only full fat ingredient in this dish is the bacon. I couldn’t bring myself to use turkey bacon. This is the first time I’ve made a Corn Chowder. I was pleasantly surprised. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about a corn soup but it was delicious and full of flavor. It’s a great quick soup that’s healthier than your average cream soup. Check it out!

Bacon Corn Chowder

Ingredients:
10-12 bacon slices, cooked
20 oz frozen corn
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large onion, diced
2 medium yellow peppers, diced
2 medium russet potatoes (about 10 oz total), diced
1 T butter ( I used a light stick butter)
2 T flour
1 T olive oil
40 oz chicken stock (no salt) (32 oz carton plus 1 cup)
1 cup half and half (I used fat free)
3/4 C reduced fat shredded cheese + extra for topping ( I used Colby jack)
1/2 T thyme
1 T garlic powder
1 T onion powder
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions: Heat a medium size pot over medium high heat. Add in olive oil then add in the minced garlic and diced onion. Let cook 2-3 minutes stirring a few times.

Next add in 1 T of butter and 2 T of flour to make a roux (a roux is a fat and flour combined which makes a thickening agent.) Stir well to incorporate the butter and flour. Reduce heat to medium low Let cook 3-4 minutes.

Add in the chicken stock, frozen corn and diced peppers and potatoes. Mix well. Mix in thyme, garlic and onion powder. Cover simmer on medium low 20 minutes stirring halfway through.

Remove pot from the stove and use an immersion blender to blend half of the soup. What this means is don’t make the soup completely thin. You want the soup to still be slightly chunky. I did the immersion blender probably about 10-15 pulses up and down and in a circular motion.

Put back on the stove on low heat. Add in 1 cup of half half and mix well and gradually add the shredded cheese. Stir well and until all cheese is melted. Season soup with salt and pepper to taste. Top with crumbled bacon and sprinkle of cheese and enjoy!

Note: You can add the cooked bacon right to the pot of soup. I kept it out because I’m trying to keep track of the nutrients and it’s better to know I only used 1 slice of bacon vs not knowing how much is in each serving. . Feel free to add different color peppers, I just used what I had on hand. You can also use regular half and half in this soup. I used fat free to make it a little healthier. You may also need to add more salt than you think just due to the flavors in the soup.