'Twas the week before Thanksgiving and all through the kitchen, home chefs are rushing to plan, prep, and brace for a very big holiday meal. One of the nicest things you can do for yourself this week is to work in quick and easy meals that are excellent blends of nutritious ingredients, tasty sauces and seasonings, and ultimately recipes you can get on table, enjoy with your family, and clean up after in a snap. Get your family involved in making them and cleaning up and it will help make planning for Thanksgiving less stressful and hopefully inspire ways everyone can be involved on the holiday too. After all, we all want to be able to enjoy the day and working together can insure that and make memories all the while.
Continuing our quest, this time around we're offering an Instant Pot recipe for corn and potato chowder. Ready in a half hour, this creamy, slightly spicy chowder is perfect for a cold day in which you would rather not think too much about what's for dinner. Want to decrease the spice level? Reduce or eliminate the roasted green chiles. Can you use canned corn? Yes! Drain it well before adding to the pot. In addition, you can use different varieties of onion, bell pepper, and potatoes. You can also use different cheese, though I'm definitely partial to sharp cheddar. Maybe a 50/50 blend of sharp cheddar and pepper jack? You decide!
This chowder would be excellent as part of a soup and salad or sandwich meal. Other options are out there, but for a quick meal that's where I land. Heck, if time is particularly short - and it often is - just tear off chunks of a baguette and dip that into bowls of hot soup and call it dinner. Enjoy!
Instant Pot Corn & Potato Chowder
- 1 tablespoon cooking fat - I used bacon fat
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic,, minced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups ½-inch cubed red potatoes (3 to 4 medium sized potatoes)
- 3 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
- ¼ cup roasted green chiles, drained
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Set the Instant Pot to SAUTÉ. Add the cooking fat and allow it to heat up.
Add the diced onions and red bell pepper to the hot cooked fat inside the Instant Pot and cook for 2 minutes; stir in the garlic and cook for 20 seconds.
Slowly add the chicken broth and stir to get all the browned bits from the bottom. Add the potatoes, corn, green chiles, thyme, salt, and pepper.
Cover and lock the lid into place. Pressure cook on HIGH for 15 minutes. Do a quick release. Remove cover and set the Instant Pot back to SAUTÉ. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the half-and-half and cornstarch. Stir the half-and-half mixture into the soup. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, or until thickened.
Stir in the shredded cheese; heat through until cheese is melted. Serve hot.
- Yields: 6-8 servings
- Preparation Time: 30 minutes