Bacon-Corn Chowder with Shrimp

We had this for dinner tonight and we were very pleasantly surprised. Neither of us has ever had chowder of any kind so we had no idea what to expect. We left out the celery and the shrimp and I didn't even miss it. Husband on the other hand keeps not-so-slyly hinting that he "likes shrimp" so I think next time we will have to make it according to the recipe minus the celery. I also think I will try adding a few chunks of avocado since you really can't go wrong with that. One of the best things about this recipe is that it gets a kid-friendly badge. Thing 1 is going through one of his picky stages so he didn't eat it although I know he normally would have but when he refused to eat it we threw his portion in the blender and gave it to 8 month old Thing 2. He gobbled it up and actually cried when I waited too long in between bites. Gotta love those dishes that appeal to the masses. 5 out of 5 stars.

 

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 6 slices center-cut bacon chopped
• 1 cup chopped onion
• ¹⁄₂ cup chopped celery
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 4 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels thawed
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• ³⁄₄ pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
• ¹⁄₃ cup half-and-half
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¹⁄₈ teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add bacon to pan; saute 4 minutes or until the bacon begins to brown. Remove 2 slices bacon. Drain on paper towels. Add onion and next 3 ingredients (through minced garlic) to pan, and saute for 2 minutes. Add corn, and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broth; bring to a boil, and cook for 4 minutes.
2. Place 2 cups of corn mixture in a blender. Remove the center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape), and secure lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in the blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Return pureed corn mixture to pan. Stir in shrimp; cook 2 minutes or until shrimp are done. Stir in half-and-half, pepper, and salt. Crumble reserved bacon over soup.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 294

Fat: 7g

Cholesterol: 144mg

Sodium: 547mg

Fiber: 4.3g

Protein: 26.8g