You know when you just can’t get warm? It feels like even your bones are cold? Enter, this amazing corn cauliflower chowder with bacon. It’s a cozy warming chowder soup recipe made with cauliflower, corn and bacon.
I grew up in Chicago and now live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and I’ve lived in upstate New York, so I know a thing or two about cold winters. So on a wintery day, I was was making my Instant Pot healthy baked potato soup and had some leftover frozen corn. I was like “why don’t I throw that in there?” It was a completely different soup; and so warming and hearty. So, I turned an older recipe into this corn cauliflower chowder with bacon recipe and have been making it over and over through the years, and am excited to share it with you!
But this is not just a winter soup. No, this soup is a summer soup too (or really an all-seasons soup). Because in the summer, you can use fresh corn when it is seasonally available. The fresh corn with give the soup a slightly sweeter flavor in the summer!
What I love about this corn cauliflower bacon chowder is that it’s so adaptable/customizable and turns out great whichever way you make it.
- You can use fresh corn, frozen corn or canned corn
- You use fresh or frozen cauliflower
- You can use bacon, turkey bacon, bacon bits, or omit the bacon (if you omit the bacon just use a little olive oil to cook the onions).
This soup can be made stovetop (which is what is pictured) or made via an Instant Pot (like in the healthy baked potato soup recipe I mention above.) Either way you choose to make it, you’ll love it!
I could totally be wrong, but I’ve always thought the main difference between a soup and a chowder is that a chowder is chunky and not blended; whereas a soup is more brothy and blended/pureed so there are not many chunks.
Personally, the thick/chunky texture of this soup is exactly what I love about it! It’s a hearty meal, even on the coldest of days.
Corn Cauliflower Chowder with Bacon
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon cut into small pieces
- 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
- 2 Tbs. all purpose flour
- 4 cups milk
- 1 pound potatoes peeled, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 2 cups corn kernels fresh or frozen , (about 3 ears)
- 2 cups cauliflower florets fresh or frozen , (1/2 head cauliflower or one 14oz. bag)
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 dashes pepper (optional)
- oyster crackers for serving, (optional)
Instructions
Stovetop Preparation
- In a large pot cook the bacon over medium high heat, stirring often, for 5 minutes, or until crisp. Use tongs to transfer bacon to a paper towel lined plate.
- Add onion and cook, stirring until softened and beginning to turn translucent. Add flour and stir for 1 minute. Stir in the milk.
- Add the potatoes, corn, cauliflower, thyme, salt, cayenne and pepper and let come to a boil. Stir occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.
- Stir in the bacon pieces. Add more salt to taste if desired. Ladle into bowls and enjoy.
Instant Pot Preparation
- Start by peeling and chopping the potatoes. If using fresh cauliflower, chop that now as well. Add both to a 6 qt Instant Pot.
- Set Instant Pot to saute for 10 minutes and add bacon pieces. Cook, stirring occasionally until bacon is crispy, 5 minutes. Use tongs to transfer bacon to a paper towel lined plate.
- Dice onions and put into Instant Pot. Cook for 4 minutes, then add the flour and stir for another minute.
- Add milk, cauliflower, corn and potatoes to the Instant Pot. Then add salt, thyme and pepper. The milk should slightly cover the potatoes and cauliflower.
- Seal the Instant pot lid and move the valve to 'sealing' and cook on manual or soup setting for 10 minutes. My Instant Pot had a little bit of preheating time, around 3-5 minutes.
- When the timer goes off, turn the valve from sealing to venting to release the pressure. This will make a hissing sound and the steam will come out which takes a few minutes.
- I like to wait a few minutes (usually at least 5 minutes) after the venting is done before removing the lid.
- Add additional salt to taste if you wish. Add the bacon and ladle into bowls and serve.
- I like to cook the bacon while the soup is cooking, but this can be done ahead of time, or you can use bacon bits.
Kim Henrichs says
This looks SO GOOD! My favorite soup is probably a good old fashioned potato.
Sweetphi says
I love a good potato soup too! yum
Chrissy Watson says
Your slow cooker lentil soup is a go-to recipe for us monthly. I have shared it with so many friends in San Diego! I hope you keep posting slow cooker recipes. Thank you Sweetphi!
Linda Bick says
Ooh! I love tortilla soup, also tomato and mushroom too! Clam chowder is delicious and French onion too! Choices ?
Sweetphi says
I agree, so many amazing soup choices
Lynn Brant says
We love soups. I’m going to have to say White Chicken Chili…today. I found a great recipe using garbanzo beans instead of the traditional navy and cannelloni. With fresh jalapeño and sour cream on top, it was perfect. 🙂
Kirstin J says
My favourite soup has to be a good hearty New England clam chowder or seafood chowder!
But my mom recently made a potato bacon soup and it was soooo good; I’m not a soup person but it’s the perfect winter soup I didn’t know I needed.
Sweetphi says
Oh yum, I love the sound of potato bacon soup, I make a baked potato soup that is kind of like that and it’s sooo good!
Holly says
I LOVE the moroccan spiced butternut squash soup on Half Baked Harvest. I make it every fall/winter. The spices make it so warm and cozy. Bonus: my husband won’t eat it, so more for me!
Sweetphi says
Yum… I love a good butternut squash soup!
Jean czajkowski says
I recently made 10 veggie soup. It included fresh, as well as, canned vegetables. I used vegetable bouillon cubes for more flavoring and broth, a bit of Italian spice, parsley, bay leaves, garlic and even the leaves off the celery, which I added to the bouquet.
Condiments,….just cleaned out the refrig, threw away 6 bottles of almost used up or expired bottles….mainly salad dressings…sheesh
Sweetphi says
That veggie soup sounds good! I too this past weekend made a big veggie soup and it felt so good.
Condiments…crazy, right? I try to go through them but it sneaks up on me and then I’m left with expired things!
Melissa M says
Our favorite right now is the slow cooker lentil soup! So easy and so filling! I also love a good minestrone soup filled with lots of veggies!
Tracy Brammer says
Turkey taco chili soup
Sweetphi says
Yum, a favorite of mine too!!
Malissa Runge says
Although it is so hard to choose just one, my all time favorite soup is Cream of Mushroom soup. I wish my family liked it so I could make it more often. Thank goodness for the freezer!
Sweetphi says
Oh yum, you know, I haven’t made a creamy homemade soup in forever and your comment is totally having me craving one!!
Amanda Laudenslayer says
Choosing one soup is hard–red pork posole, French onion, and chicken wild rice would be my favorites. Which one is number one depends on the day and how I feel
Sweetphi says
Oh yum, I love soups too. I just looked up red pork posole and totally want to try that!!
Linda Bick says
So hard to choose… tomato ?, tortilla, mushroom ?!
Sweetphi says
I know…i love soups too!! Especially this winter with the cold!
Alice Mathis says
My fave soup is NE clam chowder. If you make it, you can use less cream and more clam juice (or chicken or vegetable stock) to make it less rich. Then you can eat more of it!
The best tomato soup uses America’s Test Kitchen’s technique of draining canned tomatoesm and roasting them in a hot oven to get intense flavor. I usually ignore the rest of their recipe. I add onions and carrots for nutrition and flavor, rarely bother to puree it. I have even stopped adding cream because I never have cream on hand, It;s all good!
Sweetphi says
I love the hack of the America’s Test Kitchen recipe, thank you for sharing that!!!
Amy Cooley says
It’s hard to choose just one favorite soup! Soups are probably my favorite thing to make. Any type of chili or veggie soup is pretty high on my list. I have a recipe for a potato soup that uses frozen shredded hashbrowns that’s amazing also.
Sweetphi says
Oh I love the idea of using potato soup with frozen hash browns, I’m going to try that!
Kristy says
I love to make Avgolemono, but I’m not sure I’ve ever said that word aloud? 😉 Greek Lemon Chicken Soup. Super easy, especially if you throw leftover rotisserie chicken in.
Sweetphi says
Oooooh yum, I haven’t thought of that soup in forever (only had it at a restaurant) but now I’m craving it!!
Monica says
This is one I really like . https://pin.it/5ZqazHj
Sweetphi says
Thank you!
Barbara Fortier says
I loved the healthy lentil veggie soup. Even my picky husband loves it.
Sweetphi says
That makes me so happy to hear, thank you for sharing!!
Annette says
I could eat soup morning, noon, and night. So, I have multiple favorites, but my number one is corn, potato, and bacon soup.
Sweetphi says
Oh yum, one of my favorites too – I think you’ll love this one!
Antoinette M says
My favorite is a beef barley soup (beef, veggies & barley)! Easy to make and freezer friendly!
Sweetphi says
I’m all about the freezer friendly soups!!
Cheri says
The best soup everyone in our family likes is Butternut Squash Curry soup. It has no dairy in it but it has apples, carrots, celery, onion, butternut squash, and broth. Add some curry, cumin, pepper and let it cook. We add a little crumbled bacon to the top for texture just before serving. Thick rich creamy and so good.
Sweetphi says
YUM! We’ve been loving a similar soup – butternut squash soup – and have been having it all the time with grilled cheese and apples. Squash soup is sooo good!
Lisa Burkhart says
My favorite soup is homemade Bean with Ham. Such a hearty comfort food from my childhood
Sweetphi says
Oh yum, I haven’t had bean and ham soup in years, now I’m totally craving it!!!
Jeffrey Lammers says
I’ve always been a fan of wedding soup, but for a hearty meal I go with ham, potato, broccoli and cheddar soup!
Sweetphi says
I’ve only had wedding soup once or twice, but now I’m craving it!!
Monica M says
My favorite soup is Butternut Squash, with Tomato Soup and Corn Soup close behind. I am not a big soup person, but love these three.
Sweetphi says
I never was a soup person until recently, and now I’m all about them!! I need to find a good tomato soup recipe (do you have one you like?)