Creamy Bacon & Summer Squash Corn Chowder

No joke, I think September will be the busiest month of the year so far (nothing beats December). Since we got back from our mini vacation in Colorado it has been go-go-go! A ton of great changes and new leafs are also arising! Stay tuned for more details in a few weeks but I can tell you we have officially decided to move into a new house! Alas, we are still only renting but I can already see the mini makeovers and posts of each room, I’m so excited! We will move in at the end of the month because next week we are
GOING TO ITALY!

Wow, I’ve been holding that in for a whiiiile. We are headed to Milan, Venice and finishing in Verona. Stay tuned for more details! I couldn’t be more excited for this northern Italy excursion. Neither Jared nor I have been and it’s all we can talk about this week! If you have any good recommendations for these areas please do let me know in the comments!

Okay, I think this is where I’m supposed to talk about bacon and summer squash corn chowder ha! Because no matter how busy we are I know we’re sitting down on Sunday night at home to have a good cozy meal on the sofa (yeah totally guilty of this sometimes!). Last week I made a big ole batch of bacon and summer squash corn chowder and it had to have been one of my best decisions all week.

 The weather hasn’t been that much cozier here in So Cal but my mindset is already there. I love this soup because it is a blend of both summer and fall and that is exactly where we’re at.

This creamy bacon and summer squash corn chowder is filled with fresh summer corn, baby red potatoes, carrots and zucchini squash! It is a cream base but still feels on the healthy side to me because it’s seriously packed with fresh veggies! I love a hearty soup. I hate the feeling when you open up a piping hot soup cup and you literally have like three noodles. No way, not around here. This easy corn chowder came together in under an hour (see what I did there, ha!).

I always pre cut all my soup veggies so it makes the cooking process feel way shorter. Once you have them all prepped its time for all of the layers. Be sure to use tons of fresh herbs! I used thyme in this bacon and sumemr squash corn chowder recipe but you can use whatever you have on hand, just be sure they’re fresh. It’s all about the aromatics!

The whole cooking process takes about 30-40 minutes but I promise you’ll be eating in under an hour! We had the chowder in big bowls for dinner but it’s great as a side dish too! Don’t miss this easy weeknight soup that is perfect to finish summer off with!

Creamy Bacon and Summer Squash Corn Chowder

 3-4 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 Yellow onion, diced
3 Carrots, diced
2-3 Baby red potatoes, diced
1 Zucchini squash, quartered
3 Ears of corn, husked and removed off the ear
1 ½ Cups of cooked chopped bacon, reserve ½ cup for topping
4 Cloves of garlic, minced
¼ Cup of all purpose flour
2 Teaspoons of kosher salt, or to taste
1 Teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/2 Teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon of fresh thyme
1-2 Dried bay leaves
5 Cups of water
1 Cup of half and half
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

In a heavy bottom Dutch oven or soup pot, heat olive oil on medium heat and add in carrots and onion. Cook for 8-10 minutes on medium heat or until onions are translucent. Add garlic, flour, and thyme and cook for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Add in potatoes, zucchini, corn, bay leaf, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and water. Stir and bring mixture to a low boil, stirring consistently. Turn heat down to medium low and continue to cook for 20-30 minutes or until the potatoes pierce easily with a fork.

Add in half and half and bacon pieces, stir, and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. 

Serve warm and topped with bacon, corn pieces, a sprinkle of cayenne pepper and fresh parsley.