Published 4 Nov 2013

Recipe: Smoky Chipotle Corn Chowder

A simple, cozy recipe for creamy smoky chipotle corn chowder with corn, chipotle peppers, tomatoes, and cream — perfect for a cool day.

A blog post Women Scholars and Professionals

Tish Harrison Warren has told us that we all need to sleep, and we agree. Not only that, we need to eat — real, delicious food that nourishes the soul as well as the body. We at The Well are fond of this corn chowder recipe, even serving it at our Launch Party for The Well's redesign in January 2013. Although the original recipe is excellent, we offer it with some alternate ingredients that may make it possible to pull together from what you have on hand. It goes together quickly and makes a great soup for a cool fall day.

Smoky Chipotle Corn Chowder

Serves 4-6

Prep time: 30 minutes

2 tablespoons butter1 large red bell pepper, chopped (or use roasted red peppers from a jar — 1/2 cup chopped)1 medium onion, chopped3 garlic cloves, minced 1 141/2-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice2 cups water 2 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce (or 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder) 2 15-ounce cans cream-style corn (or 2 cans regular canned corn, pureeing half in a blender)1 16-ounce package frozen corn1 cup whipping cream (you can substitute half-and-half or milk)1 teaspoon dried oreganoChopped fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and red pepper (if using raw) and sauté until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. (If using chopped jarred peppers, add these next.) Add tomatoes with juices to pot; cook 2 minutes. Add water, chipotle, and canned corn to the pot. Bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add frozen corn, cream or milk, more chipotle if desired, and oregano; simmer 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro.