The beginning of December often has me making some soups and stews for freezing and setting aside for enjoying later in the month, when I'm fussing with fancy food for entertaining, gift giving, and potlucks for the extended holiday season. Having a meal or three waiting to be thawed from the freezer and enjoyed can be a huge part of staying sane and actually enjoying the holidays, so I make a point of building that into the early part of the month and I tend to favor my favorite comfort foods. That's where this spicy, sweet chowder comes in.
This brightly colored soup features a blend of corn, butternut squash or pumpkin puree (I use butternut squash because it's both sweeter and brighter, but pumpkin will work too), potatoes, onion, and garlic with both creamy (think milk and cheese) and spicy (think chipotles and adobe sauce) elements throughout. It's great on its own or served with warm bread or a light salad.
If you are looking for a fun way to serve it, ladle some into mugs and make some grilled cheese sandwiches. Even the kids will cheer when that's what meets them after a cold afternoon playing in the snow or putting up Christmas decorations!
Chipotle Corn Chowder
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups frozen corn
- 3 potatoes, peeled & diced
- 2 cups butternut squash or pumpkin puree
- 2 chipotles in adobe, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cup milk
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Cooked, crumbled bacon for garnish, if desired
In the insert of the Instant Pot, combine the onion, garlic, corn, potatoes, squash or pumpkin puree, chopped chipotles, salt, pepper, and chicken broth. Lock the lid in place and set the pressure to high and the cook time to 20 minutes. When the timer sounds, allow the soup to naturally release for 10 minutes before manually releasing any remaining pressure.
Remove the lid from the Instant Pot and add the milk. Stir well and, using an immersion blender, blend about half of the soup so that it's still a bit chunky. Stir in the shredded cheese and allow to fully melt and incorporate before serving.
Serve in bowls sprinkled with a bit of crumbled bacon on top.
- Yields: 8-10 servings
- Preparation Time: 45 minutes