I just love chowder. It’s creamy. It has potatoes. It often has corn. Cheese. It’s creamy-cheesey-potato-and-corn deliciousness.
As much as I’d like to pretend that Spring is coming, with my barbecue this and barbecue that, and strawberry pineapple heaven on a crust of shortbread, deep down, I’m not feeling it. I still walk out to my car (in my attached garage…) in the morning and feel the biting nearly -30 degree Celsius temperature. If that’s not a wake-up call, I don’t know what is.
I haven’t even checked the forecast lately. All I know is, it’s going to be cold. For a while.
I’m not normally one to complain about the weather. Instead I just continue cooking hearty meals and sitting on the couch in with a fuzzy blanket eating cupcakes because I know it won’t be bathing suit season anytime season.
See? Two sides to every coin.
So I think we all need some chowder to make us feel better about the whole situation. And if you live further South and are lucky enough to actually be living Spring right now, you should make some chowder anyway. Because why not? It’s creamy. And has potatoes. And this one has smoky sausage and a hint of spice.
I first made this soup in the fall, with no recipe as my guide, and my husband declared it as the best soup I’ve ever made. And it’s not like I never make soup.
So the problem with cooking without a recipe is that it can be awfully difficult to reproduce with the same results. I think I’ve gotten it figured out for you guys though.
The recipe starts with smoked sausage. I use Farmer Sausage because my family butchers pigs and makes it from scratch, so I end up with a freezer full come the middle of winter. You could use any kind of sausage you like — something with a nice smoky flavour would be great, as would Italian sausage. You could even use turkey sausage if you want to lighten it up. The only thing to keep in mind is that if you’re using a sausage that’s not smoked, you will need to make sure it’s fully cooked. Because you’re crumbling it, that should only take a few minutes.
Smoked Sausage and Potato Chowder
Ingredients
- 1 lb smoked sausage crumbled
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 5 medium potatoes diced
- 1/2 medium onion diced
- 1 red or other sweet pepper
- 1/2-1 tsp minced garlic depending on your tastes
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1-1 1/2 tsp salt depending on your tastes (I added 1 ½ tsp)
- 3-4 pinches red pepper flakes I added 4, and it had just a hint of spice
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups milk
Instructions
- In a large pot, brown crumbled sausage.
- Add potatoes, pepper, onion and garlic and heat a minute or two until garlic is fragrant. Add chicken broth, Italian seasoning, salt, brown sugar, red pepper flakes and corn. Simmer 10 minutes or until potatoes are cooked and can be easily pierced with a sharp knife.
- Meanwhile, prepare your roux. In a large bowl (you want to leave room for the liquid to rise when it boils, because if you don’t you’ll have a big mess in the microwave) melt butter in the microwave.
- Add flour and stir. Add milk and whisk until smooth.
- Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Put back in the microwave and cook on high for 1.5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Continue microwaving for 45 seconds-1 minute at a time, whisking each time, until mixture is thick. Watch your microwave closely to make sure it is not bubbling over. (*You can easily do this on the stove if you’re worried about the mixture bubbling over).
- If the milk has thickened (think Alfredo sauce thick), add to the soup as soon as potatoes are cooked. Stir and taste, adjusting seasoning to your tastes.
Nutrition Information
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Laura Christensen says
I have printed out the Quick Chicken Bacon Rise Soup recipe and the Smoked Sausage with Potato Chowder and am going to make up the Chicken one today. I have a store bought already cooked chicken and everything else on hand. I am a great soup lover…..(.no matter what time of year it is) in fact I could eat soups morning noon and night time and even before bed. Crazy huh? lol I love to make my own home made version of any soup and like you if I don’t measure I have never been able to repeat the same taste again. But I still have my soup.
Thanks for all the great recipes you give us and I share with my family as well. Keep up the good work!
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Laura! I’m glad you found some you liked! Let me know how they work out for you 🙂 I am a BIG soup lover too! I could eat it all year round and even in the summer. Hope you had a great weekend!
Laura says
The smoked sausage and potato soup was awesome. Have not tired the chicken rice one as of yet but will be sure to do so soon.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad to hear that!
Jasmine says
Thank you for this quick meal. I found the recipe on Pinterest and now the pots boiling. Smells delish!
Ashley says
You’re very welcome! It’s one of our favorite soups!