Chipotle Cheddar Corn & Shrimp Chowder

We had a crazy rainy weekend last weekend and my friend Tiffany from We Five Kings posted that she was planning to make this yummy soup and I thought it looked delicious! The recipe is originally from Half Baked Harvest and I adapted it slightly. If you are not following her on Instagram, do it now, I get so much inspiration from her posts.

Making this soup really made me think about my cooking journey, I did not grow up cooking in the kitchen with my mom. I am an only child and it was just me and her for most of my childhood, so we just didn’t cook a lot. So when I got married I was determined to learn how to cook. I would go thru cookbooks, watch the cooking channel and try all sorts of new things. Early in my cooking journey if I didn’t have EXACTLY what the recipe called for, I just wouldn’t make the dish. I remember wasting food because I would forget to buy one ingredient at the store, not make the recipe and then have no idea what to do with the rest of the food I had purchased. People would always tell me how they could just throw things together without a recipe, and I just knew there was no way I would ever be able do that. I am happy to report that I now hardly ever use a recipe, and when I do, I typically change it or edit it slightly based on what I have on hand. It has taken a lot of practice and learning to have confidence in the kitchen. And having a husband who will eat just about anything helps too!

When I quickly glanced thru the original recipe, I had everything I really needed to make it now that I keep a well stocked pantry and freezer. The only thing I had to purchase was the bacon. The original recipe is linked here, she has options for making on the stove top, slow cooker or instant pot. I left out the potatoes, switched out whole milk for coconut milk and added shrimp. I made mine on the stove top and whipped it up in no time. Enjoy!

• 4 strips thick cut bacon, chopped
• 1/2 sweet onion, diced (I only used a 1/4 because my onion was HUGE)
• 4 cloves garlic, diced
• 16oz frozen corn (I used sweet white corn, but any variety would work)
• 2 chipotle chilis in adobe, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 C chicken broth
• 13.5oz can coconut milk
• 2 C shredded sharp cheddar
• 1/3 C fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp

Instructions

1. Crisp the bacon in a large soup pot on medium high heat. Transfer cooked bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Leave about a tablespoon of bacon grease in the pot, remove any excess.
2. Add your chopped onion to the grease, cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic, corn, chipotle chilis and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Add chicken broth. Bring soup up to a boil and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.
3. Carefully transfer half of the soup to a blender or food processor and pulse till chunky smooth. Return blended half to the pot. (If making ahead of time, stop here till ready to serve. I made this a few hours early and left on the stove for a few hours on low at this point. Just turn the heat back up to medium high before adding remainder of ingredients.)
4. Stir in the coconut milk and shredded cheese, stir till cheese is melted.
5. Add shrimp, cilantro and cooked bacon to the pot. The shrimp will cook very quick, about 3 minutes or so. Once shrimp is pink, soup is ready to serve. Top with additional cheese and cilantro if desired.