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As summer winds down into fall, Zucchini Corn Chowder is perfect for those end-of-season veggies! Loaded with crispy bacon, red bell pepper, onion, zucchini, potatoes, fresh basil, and lots of sweet corn cut off the cob, this soup is rich and creamy, savory and sweet, and absolutely delicious!
- Summer Flavor, Fall Soup! - Fill your last days of summer with all the corn on the cob and end-of-garden basil and zucchini! This soup is huge on flavor, so creamy and hearty, and quickly becoming one of my favorite soups! Check out these garden inspired 15 Ways to Use Garden Fresh Zucchini too!
- Preserve your Garden! - You can freeze it! This chowder is a great way to use up garden zucchini and capture that fresh sweet corn that we miss all winter. Plus it's healthy and loaded with vegetables! Try this Garden Tomato White Bean Cassoulet and this Garden Harvest Tater Tot Casserole too, use those veggies as fall sets in!
- If you Love this Soup, try my Sweet Potato Corn Chowder, Cheesy Broccoli Zucchini Soup, and this Potato Corn Chowder.
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Ingredients & Substitutions
The end of summer veggies packed into a fall soup, it's the perfect dinner for the changing weather!
- Bacon - Starting this chowder off with bacon not only gives you a delicious crispy soup topping, but the veggies cook in the rendered bacon fat, loading them with flavor!
- Onion, Bell Pepper, Garlic - The base layers of flavor, veggies also add nutrition. The red bell pepper could be substituted with any color pepper, or even a spicier pepper to add a little heat to your soup!
- Zucchini - Always hanging out in the late summer garden, this soup uses up 2 zucchini.
- Potatoes - Potatoes add the bulk of substance to Zucchini Corn Chowder, while also adding creaminess when part of the soup gets blended. I used 2 medium sized Russet potatoes, but this is flexible. Two larger Russets would be fine, or 3 or 4 Yukon golds, depending on size. You can decide to peel them or not.
- Sweet Corn on the Cob - Summer sweet corn, cut off the cob, adds incredible flavor to this cozy pot of soup! It bridges summer to autumn, and the cobs simmer in the soup to extract every bit of flavor!
- Seasonings and Spices - Salt and pepper are important to season all those veggies. Paprika adds the perfect mellow spice, and dried or fresh thyme can be used.
- Flour - Just a little bit of flour is going to combine with that remaining bacon fat to form a roux and thicken the soup.
- Chicken Stock - We love to make Homemade Chicken Stock from Bones and Veggie Scraps and keep it in the freezer for soup making. You could also use vegetable stock.
- Half & Half - The creamy dairy finish to the chowder, half & half will thicken the soup as it simmers. You could substitute 1 cup of heavy cream, and just add more stock, milk, or water if it gets too thick. You could also use 2 cups of whole milk, but the soup will be slightly less rich and creamy.
- Fresh Basil - Always in the garden this time of year, basil and corn on the cob are a match made in heaven. Add chopped basil to the soup and a few extra sprigs to garnish.
- White Cheddar Cheese - While optional, we love topping each bowl with freshly shredded white cheddar cheese. You could also use gouda, cheddar, or pepper jack for a little kick!
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
This one-pot zucchini potato soup is built in layers, loaded with lots of healthy veggies, and is ready in about an hour.
Step 1 - Remove the husks and silk from the corn on the cob and slice the kernels from the cob. Save the corn cobs!
Step 2 - Chop your vegetables and assemble your ingredients.
Step 3 - In a large soup pot over medium heat, cook your chopped bacon until crisp.
Remove it to a bowl, and discard some of the bacon fat, while keeping about 2 Tablespoons.
Step 4 - Add the chopped onion, red bell pepper and zucchini to the remaining bacon fat and saute about 6 minutes.
Step 5 - Add the potatoes and corn kernels and season with salt and pepper.
Continue to saute another 10 minutes. Stir occasionally while allowing the veggies to caramelize a bit.
Step 6 - Add the garlic, paprika, thyme and flour.
Stir well to combine, cooking the garlic for just a minute.
Step 7 - Add the chicken stock and the corn cobs to the pot for extra flavor.
Cover and simmer about 10 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.
Step 8 - Reduce the heat to low, remove the corn cobs, and add the half & half and fresh basil.
Keep the soup simmering over low heat.
Step 9 - Transfer about 2 cups of the soup to a blender and puree until very smooth.
Add the puree back to the soup and continue to simmer over low heat, about 10 to 15 minutes until the soup thickens.
Step 10 - Add the bacon back, or use it as a topping for each bowl.
Serve with shredded white cheddar cheese and more fresh basil.
Helpful Tips
- Keep Removing the Corn Silk - You definitely want to remove as much of the corn silk as you can. So remove it as you peel the husks, as you cut the kernels from the cob, and keep an eye out to remove any you see in the sautéing vegetables.
- Blending the Chowder - I love the rich and creamy texture of the partially blended soup. Puree 2 cups of the chowder very very smooth. You want the soup to be silky smooth with chunks of veggies in it, not a semi-chunky mealy texture. So really let your blender run and get those 2 cups nice and smooth. This also helps thicken the soup.
- Adjustable and Customizable - This soup is forgiving and the amounts don't need to be exact, especially the vegetables. You could use 3 or 4 ears of corn, any type of pepper you like, add extra zucchini or potatoes if you have them, or start with more or less bacon. Taste your finished soup and decide if you need a pinch more salt, or even add a pinch of sugar or honey to enhance the sweet corn. Totally a personal preference!
- What to Serve it With - We really like dipping tortilla chips in chowder! Along with the cheese, bacon, and fresh basil toppings, this is a complete meal on its own. You could also add a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream. Zucchini Corn Soup would also be good with Honey Skillet Cornbread, Overnight Dutch Oven Bread, grilled cheese sandwiches, or chips and Spinach Arugula Salad or Roasted Peach Tomato Salsa as a side dish! Check out all our favorite 31 Summer Dinner Recipes!
- Storage and Freezing - This soup can be made a day in advance, stored in the fridge for up to 3 days, or frozen for 4 months. I love freezing individual glass jars of soup for the perfect serving size. Only fill jars ¾'s full to allow room for expansion and cool them overnight in the fridge before freezing. Then thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. Freezing this soup is a great way to preserve some of your summer garden harvest!
Recipe FAQs
The thickness of your chowder is constantly in motion. The longer it simmers on the burner, the more steam will escape, condensing and thickening the soup. Stirring often will help thicken. The flour, blending 2 cups of the soup, and using extra potatoes will all give you a thicker soup. If your soup ever becomes too thick, just thin it out with a bit of stock, milk, or water.
Yes, just skip the bacon to make this soup vegetarian. You'll want to saute the veggies in 1 or 2 Tablespoons of olive oil to start.
Yes and no. This chowder is all about the amazing flavors of summer corn on the cob! So yes, of course it will work with frozen corn, but it won't be quite as good. You can always freeze summer corn cut off the cob to make this recipe all winter!
More Garden Harvest Soups!
If you made this recipe, I'd love to hear how you liked it! Be sure to leave a star rating by clicking the stars in the recipe card, or leave a comment below!
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Zucchini Corn Chowder
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Print Pin RateIngredients
- 6 strips bacon chopped
- 1 onion (1½ cups chopped)
- 1 red bell pepper (1 cup chopped)
- 2 zucchini (4 cups chopped)
- 2 russet potatoes (3 to 4 cups chopped)
- 3 ears corn on the cob (3 cups kernels cut off the cob)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 grinds fresh black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon thyme (fresh or dried)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups half & half
- ¼ cup fresh basil
- 1 cup white cheddar cheese shredded, for topping
Instructions
- Chop all vegetables. Remove the husk and silk from the corn and slice the kernels off the cobs.
- In a large soup pot over medium heat, add the chopped bacon and cook until crisp, about 6 minutes. Remove the bacon to a bowl. Discard some of the fat, but leave at least 2 Tablespoons to cook the veggies.
- Add the onion, red bell pepper and zucchini to the rendered bacon fat. Saute about 6 minutes.
- Add the potatoes and corn kernels to the cooking vegetables and season with salt and pepper. Saute another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so the veggies can brown a bit.
- Add the paprika, thyme, garlic, and flour. Cook and stir another minute.
- Add the chicken stock and the 3 corn cobs (for extra flavor), cover and simmer about 10 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through and tender.
- Reduce heat to low, discard the corn cobs, and add the half & half and fresh basil.
- Add about 2 cups of the soup to a blender and puree very smooth before adding back to the soup. Stir well to combine, simmering 10 to 15 minutes until the soup has thickened.
- Stir in some of the reserved bacon or use it to top each bowl. Serve with shredded white cheddar cheese and more fresh basil.
Notes
- Keep Removing the Corn Silk - Remove as much of the corn silk as you can when you peel the husks. Keep an eye out and keep removing more as you cut the kernels from the cob, and as you see any in the sautéing vegetables.
- Blending the Chowder - Puree 2 cups of the chowder very very smooth. You want the soup to be silky smooth with chunks of veggies, not a semi-chunky mealy texture. Really let your blender run, it also helps thicken the soup!
- Customize - Customize the soup to your liking, the amounts don't need to be exact. You could use 3 or 4 ears of corn, any type of pepper, extra zucchini or potatoes if you have them, or start with more or less bacon. Add more or less salt and you can even decide to add a pinch of sugar or honey to enhance the sweet corn flavor!
- Half & Half - Substitute 1 cup heavy cream and adjust with more stock, milk or water. Or substitute whole milk for a less rich soup.
- Adjusting the Thickness - The longer the chowder simmers, the more steam will escape, condensing and thickening the soup. Stirring frequently will help thicken. The flour, blending 2 cups of the soup, and using extra potatoes will all give you a thicker soup. If your soup ever becomes too thick, just thin it out with a bit of stock, milk, or water.
Ann says
Tried this for dinner tonight and it was so delicious! There is a little bit of chopping to do, but well worth the effort. I put some aside in glass jars to freeze and have for later, but plenty left for another meal tomorrow night! As always, the directions were very easy to follow.