Corn chowder should be on every budget cook’s list of recipes to master. This recipe is thick, creamy, and richly spiced.

Despite the mild weather we have been having this winter in Minnesota, I always am in the mood for a warm bowl of soup this time of the year.

Soup is one of my favorite things to make. I find it a little difficult to write an actual soup recipe because I start with a base, and keep adding different spices and ingredients until I am happy with the end product. So if my soup recipes seem all over the place in terms of ingredients and flavors, this explains why!

About The Recipe: Roasted Corn Chowder

Instead of cooking my own bacon (and to avoid a kitchen mess!), I bought about 1/2 cup of cooked bacon at the grocery store’s salad bar. I was thrilled when I went to the cash register and found out that it cost  just 14 cents. 14 cents! My already-cheap soup recipe just got cheaper. I almost felt guilty paying that little.

I used chicken bouillon cubes to save money,  but you could certainly use canned chicken broth or homemade chicken stock.

I like Better Than Bouillon soup base, which is a concentrated flavor base in paste form. It has fewer artificial ingredients than bouillon cubes.

Like a thicker soup? Try this cheesy cornbread soup.

If you’re not a bacon fan, you could use ground beef or go meatless. I am all for making substitutions to decrease the cost of a recipe. Feel free to share your ideas below!

Toppings make the soup! Get 80+ creative soup topping ideas

Continue to Content

Roasted Corn Chowder

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

1Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

I used frozen fire-roasted corn for this recipe, which added a great smoky flavor to the soup. Reserve some of the chopped bacon and red pepper to garnish the soup.

Print

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cups fire-roasted sweet corn, divided
• 3/4 cup half-and-half
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 large chicken bouillon cubes (or 2 cans chicken broth)
• 1 small red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup cooked chopped bacon (from about 4 to 5 slices of bacon)
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce or Tabasco sauce
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon sour cream, optional

Toppings

• Chopped bacon
• Chopped red pepper
• Shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, saute chopped onion in the butter for 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 20 seconds or so. Add three cups of water and bring to a boil. Add bouillon and cook for a couple of minutes, until bouillon dissolves. (Alternatively, you could add two cans of chicken broth.)
2. In a blender, combine one cup of corn, half-and-half, and cornstarch. Blend until creamy. Add the corn mixture to the saucepan and continue cooking over medium heat. Add red pepper and bacon. Add seasonings to your liking (sugar, sriracha sauce, salt, and pepper.) Add sour cream, if desired, for extra creamy consistency.

Did you like this recipe?

Please give it a 5-star review on the recipe card above!