Soup in the summer: yay or nay?

I’m in the yay camp, because soup is the perfect vessel for including all the seasonal ingredients you have on hand and need to use up. I love throwing a soup together with whatever I have on hand, and that includes delicious summer veggies like corn, peppers, and zucchini.

All the veggies I used for this soup was either garden grown or bought from our farmer’s market and that is summer dinner goals for me!

This soup comes together easily, starting with cooking a little bacon and then saving it to sprinkle on the top of the soup. The veggies are cooked in the same pan, with half the corn pureéd to give it a creamier texture. Some broth is added, a little half and half gets stirred in, and you’re good to go! We sprinkled the reserved bacon and a bit of cotija cheese on top, but you could use feta or whatever you had on hand that sounded good.

This soup was a hit with my whole family, and we loved the Grilled Flatbread on the side for dipping. Dinner plans: check!

Sweet Corn & Zucchini Chowder

Yield: 8 servings

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Ingredients

• 6 slices of bacon, diced
• 1 medium onion, small diced
• 1 cup of diced poblano peppers (other mild peppers would work too)
• 2 small/medium zucchini, small diced
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 7 medium ears of corn, husked and cut off the cob*
• 1 cup half and half
• Cotija, Feta, or other cheese for topping

Instructions

1. In a large pot over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
2. Add the onion and pepper to the bacon grease and cook for 5 minutes, or until soft and slightly browned. Add the zucchini and cook for a few minutes until golden.
3. Add the smoked paprika, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and stir to melt and coat the veggies. Stir in the flour.
4. Add the broth, a little at a time, stirring as you go.
5. Add half the corn to the soup, and using a food processor or blender (I used my immersion blender in a tall jar,) roughly pureé the rest of the corn. Add it to the soup.
6. Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce the heat to low, simmering for a few minutes.
7. Before serving stir in the half and half, adding more salt or pepper to taste.
8. Top with crisped bacon and cheese.

Notes

*Make sure you scrape the cob with the back of a knife before tossing them to get all the corn "milk" and juices.

Did you make this recipe?

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