First of all, let me just say that this Butternut Squash Corn Chowder is a little fancier than the usual fare I share here on Lovely Little Kitchen. But don’t be scared, it’s completely doable and really it’s just those Goat Cheese Croutons that might scare you away (they both intrigued me and almost scared me away) and they are totally optional.
Let me tell you how I came upon this recipe, and then I’ll tell you what made me fall in LOVE!
Every Tuesday morning, Little Boy #3 and I go to a Bible study class with a bunch of women. Actually, he goes to his own little class with his friends and I go with mine. What I love about this group of women is that they are all different ages from all different backgrounds, and they all bring their own life experiences to the group. I learn just as much from the collective wisdom of the women in the group as I do from the book we are studying, and their sincere and honest faith makes mine stronger.
I LOVE that.
A couple of weeks ago, we brought dishes to share and all sat down together. I can’t tell you how much I love seeing what everyone brings, and getting a little taste of this and a taste of that. One friend of mine brought a crockpot full of this wonderful Butternut Squash Corn Chowder, and even brought a little bowl of homemade Goat Cheese Croutons to top it with. I was pretty impressed! After tasting it, I had to let her know how much I liked it, and she was kind enough to remember to bring me a copy of the recipe the next week, along with her hand written notes with adaptations.
I searched for the same recipe to find out where it came from, and it looks like credit goes Lane Crowther, contributing editor for Bon Appétit. Sounds about right!
I fell in love with this recipe because it has so many flavors going on that work together so well. The sweetness of the squash and corn balance out the heat of the chipotle peppers. Add to that the earthiness of the sage and the creamy tang of the goat cheese. So wonderful my friends! And did I mention the smoky, salty bacon bits there on top?
If you wanted to simplify this recipe, you could simply serve it with a nice crusty warm baguette and omit the croutons. The chowder itself is very simple. Please make this, and tell me you love it too!
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #lovelylittlekitchen
Can't get enough?
Subscribe and I'll send all my recipes right to your inbox! You can also keep up to date by following me on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.
Print
Butternut Squash Corn Chowder with Goat Cheese Croutons
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: American
Description
A wonderfully balanced recipe with sweet corn, smokey bacon, chipotle peppers, and creamy goat cheese. Everyone will want to go back for more!
Ingredients
For the Goat Cheese Croutons
- 4 ounces chilled soft fresh goat cheese
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
For the Butternut Corn Chowder
- 4 thick bacon slices, chopped
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, chopped
- 4 1/2 cups chicken broth (I used water and 4 1/2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base)
- 2 tablespoons minced canned chipotle chilies (I used the kind in adobo sauce, and I rinsed and deseeded the peppers before mincing)
- 2 cups sweet corn (fresh off the cob would be amazing, I used frozen)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons fresh sage
Instructions
For the Croutons
- Cut the goat cheese into 1/2 inch rounds, and then cut each round into four quarters. You should end up with about 20 pieces.
- Coat each piece in cornmeal. Shape into a cube, and then dip into the beaten egg, and again into the cornmeal. Freeze at least one hour.
- Just before you are ready to serve the chowder, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the frozen croutons to the oil, and cook about 1 minute per side, turning as you go with a tongs or a fork.
For the Butternut Corn Chowder
- In a large heavy bottomed pot, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, and then remove from the pan and add onions to bacon drippings.
- Cook the onions just until they are tender, and then add the butternut squash, broth, and chilies. Bring to a simmer, and cook about 30 minutes or until the butternut squash is tender and falls apart when pressed to the side of the pot with a spoon.
- At this point, I used an immersion blender to puree the chowder, leaving some pieces intact. You could also ladle 3 cups of the chowder to a blender to puree and then add it back to the soup.
- Add the corn and sage, and then taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper as needed. I added 1 teaspoon of salt and several turns of freshly cracked pepper. Depending on the saltiness of your chicken broth, you may need to add more or less.
- Ladle the chowder into bowls, and then top with bacon and goat cheese croutons.
Notes
My friend Ally shared this recipe with me, along with her own adaptations, originally from Lane Crowther, contributing editor for Bon Appétit. I adjusted some of the measurements as well to suit my own tastes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Serving
- Calories: 318
- Sugar: 6.7g
- Sodium: 931mg
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 5.1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9.7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 36g
- Fiber: 6.9g
- Protein: 12g
- Cholesterol: 51mg
Stephanie says
This looks delicious. I’m going to have to veganize (is that a word?) it, but that shouldn’t be too hard.
Julie says
Totally a word! Hope you love it too!
Mark Popovich says
I have a copy of this recipe from Sunset Magazine autumn issue sometime in the early 90’s. That recipe called for using roasted garlic chicken broth. I usually use Swanson free range broth and roast a head of garlic myself. Since I’m in New Mexico, I also add some roasted green Chile’s. I’ve made this multiple times a fall/winter since that original recipe. Even as a first course Thanksgiving. Always a big hit!