Normally when I tell Jeremy, “Hey, I’m making soup for dinner!”, I get a fake smile and a slight eye roll. Pff… like I didn’t notice that eye roll, buddy! In his mind, soup consists of way too many vegetables and not nearly enough meat. Like my cauliflower soup, for example. I LOVE every bit of that cheesy, creamy, so-good-for-you deliciousness, but all he sees is a pile of mashed vegetables thrown in a bowl. He’s such a buzzkill in my soup-loving world.
But because I love my husband so dearly, despite his soup-loathing ways, I do find it in my heart to compromise every now and again. I know, wife of the year material, right? This compromise comes in the form of chowder… thick, creamy delicious chowder bursting at the seams with chunks of ham and potatoes and garnished with crispy, salty bacon. How amazing and manly does that sound?
Don’t tell my husband, but this chowder recipe isn’t actually a compromise at all. I mean, it’s not like I’m sacrificing anything here.
Do you really think I’d say, “Okay, Jeremy, fine… if you MUST have bacon in this soup, I guess I’ll choke it down.” I don’t think so.
Or, “Whatever, Jeremy… I absolutely hate creamy potato soup with bits of ham and melted cheddar cheese, but I guess if it will save our marriage…” Yeah, not a chance.
There isn’t a soul on Earth (except maybe you vegetarian ones) that wouldn’t love this hearty, comforting soup, and I’ve been dying to share it here with you so you can go impress your husband with this giant “soup compromise” too. Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.
Okay, let’s get down to specifics.
Oh wait! Before I forget, you need to pencil this meal into your dinner menu around holiday time. Why, you ask? Well #1 it’s going to start getting mighty chilly heading into November, and this chowder is sure to keep you nice and warm during the next few months. And #2… holiday ham leftovers! Now you know exactly what to do with all that leftover ham from Thanksgiving and/or Christmas. Make THIS chowder!
So here’s a few tips for when you make this recipe:
- Dice your ham and potatoes into nice, small pieces. You want them to be bite-size, and smaller potatoes will cook quicker. Trust me, when you get to experience the smell of this chowder cooking in your kitchen, you won’t want to be waiting around all day for huge chunks of potatoes to finish cooking!
- You’ll notice I say the word STIR pretty frequently in this recipe. It’s not because I want to give you a good arm workout (although, you’re welcome for that), but because chowders like this can burn on the bottom of the pan if you don’t stir them often enough. Don’t turn up the heat too high and keep stirring, and you shouldn’t run into any problems!
- Also, after you add the flour and milk, you’ll notice that the liquid doesn’t thicken much right away. That’s okay. Don’t start adding a million things to try and thicken it up just yet! After you add the starchy potatoes and cook them in the liquid, the chowder will thicken up beautifully. Sometimes mine gets a little too thick, but a couple extra splashes of milk bring it back to the perfect consistency.
- Serve this with a loaf of crusty bread. Carb city, baby!
Next time you crave a hearty comfort food dish, I promise this chowder will not disappoint! And remember, if my husband asks, I totally gag at the thought of delicious bacon. 😉
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- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup onion, dicd
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1½ cups frozen corn kernels
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3½ cups 2% milk
- 2 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 pound ham steak, diced
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 2-3 minutes. Add the corn and the flour and cook, stirring frequently, about 1 minute. Pour in the milk and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes. (It won't be super thick yet at this point) Stir in the potatoes and thyme. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Continue to cook about 15-18 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the ham and cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately and garnish with bacon.
- Make sure to stir the chowder frequently during cooking. The bottom of the pot can burn if you're not careful, but frequently stirring will prevent the issue.
- The chowder will thicken once the potatoes are added, but if it gets too thick after cooking, add a little milk to get your desired consistency.
Are you making this recipe? I’d LOVE to see it! Post a photo of your creation on Instagram and use the hashtag #MyLGWRecipe. It may just get featured!
Still hungry? Try these tasty recipes:
Three Cheese Shrimp Mac and Cheese
Balsamic and Rosemary Steak Kabobs
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Can’t remember the last time that I made a chowder! Thanks for reminding me how delicious they are, definitely need to make your ham and potato recipe soon.
I go through stages where all I can think about is soup and chowder, and then I go months without making any! This recipe won’t be going anywhere anytime soon though. 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by today! Enjoy the recipe!
Wow this looks amazing! And you’re so funny:) I’m going to have to try this once the Texas weather wakes up and realizes it’s fall.
Xoxo,
Summer Ann
http://www.simplysummerann.com
I bet it’s still beautiful in Texas right now! The leaves have almost all fallen here, and the colder temperatures are coming later this week. I’m sure going to miss the warm sunshine, but yummy comfort food like this makes it all better. 🙂 I hope you enjoy the recipe, Summer Ann!
You’re so funny! It looks absolutely delicious. I will try it as soon as possible.
I have a recipe from my Mom/aunts making potato soup with small pieces of bacon. It’s much simpler without as many ingredients. The recipe came from my Mom’s Mom. I’d love to try your recipe tho, sounds delicious. I make a big pot of our soup as it seems to go pretty quickly. I love making the soup on a cold day (we live in western CO) so pretty soon that will be happening. It seems to taste better every time it’s warmed up, is it that way with your soup/chowder? Hubs and I love to have it for supper and sometimes lunch.
Glad you shared this recipe, always looking for something little different to make, give us more variety. Happy weekend and Halloween. Will you have lots of little trick or treaters where you live? We don’t get any at all, haven’t had any in 8 yrs we’ve lived here. Seems to be an adult neighborhood. Enjoy
Hey JaneEllen! I agree, there’s nothing better on a chilly day than a big bowl of creamy soup. This recipe makes a pretty big batch, so we get to have leftovers for lunch the next day too!
And we did have a wonderful Halloween! It was cold, windy, and just plain nasty here in Indiana, but the boys were troopers and went to at least a handful of houses. Since we live out in the country and don’t have any close neighbors, we don’t get any trick or treaters. I wish we did, but at least I won’t have all that candy sitting in the house! Hope you have a great week, JaneEllen!
Liz this looks so good, I know my meat loving family would be full after a bowl of this yummy chowder. Pinning- xoxo
Your family sounds just like mine, Tanya! Hope you enjoy the chowder, and thanks for the pin! 🙂
I can’t wait to try this (probably tomorrow :o)
We went with ham instead of turkey for Christmas this year so I’ve been looking for a leftover ham recipe to enjoy while snuggled up in front of the fire – this sounds just the thing :o)
We did too! Lots of leftover ham in the refrigerator, so this chowder is on my to-do list for today too. 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
Oh, noo. I am hungry now because of you 😀
🙂
I will definitely try this recipe looks great! 🙂
Pinned this blog and this chowdah looks delish! First, gonna try the apple pie bars for my granddaughters after school snacks. They never know what nanna’s gonna have waiting for them when they come thru the door, but always expect some “little” tidbit or two….or three…or more!
Delicious recipes! Already tried all of them! Thank you for sharing!