I finally took some time over the weekend to go through all of the recipes I've ripped out of Food Network Magazine, Cooking Light and Rachael Ray Magazine over the past three years. I probably have about 300 recipes but only 100 of them are filed in a binder. I'm sure I'll never get around to trying every recipe (or even filing the rest of the recipes), but you never know what kind of recipe an occasion or event will call for.
Wanting to make something fresh and light with summer produce, I found a recipe for Summer Squash and Corn Chowder from Cooking Light. I made a few modifications including removing the cooked celery (I'm not a fan) and green onions (Will's not a fan) and instead added a sweet red pepper. I also increased the bacon in the recipe, because you can never have too much bacon. The best part about this soup? It only took a half hour to make!
Creamy, sweet corn broth with sweet red peppers, tender squash and smokey bacon. Topped with creamy cheddar, this soup is light, fresh and perfect for a quick summer meal.
Summer Squash, Corn and Bacon Chowder
adapted from Cooking Light
5 slices applewood smoked bacon
1 pound yellow summer squash, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 pound frozen white and yellow baby corn kernels, thawed and divided
2 1/2 cup skim milk, divided
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Cook bacon over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven pan, until crisp. Remove bacon from pan. Crumble the bacon and set aside. Add the squash and red pepper to the bacon drippings in the pan and saute for 8 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Set aside 1 cup of corn. Place the remaining corn and 1 cup milk in a blender and puree until smooth. Add the rest of the milk, thyme, salt and pepper to the blender and process until just combined. Add the corn and milk mixture to the pan with the remaining corn. Add the crumbled bacon to the soup.
Reduce heat to medium and cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring constantly.
Ladle into bowls and top with cheddar cheese. Serves 4.
