• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Browse Recipes
  • subscribe
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
Life Currents
Home » Southwestern Corn Chowder

Southwestern Corn Chowder

September 16, 2019 by Debi 7 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Yum
Jump to Recipe

Southwestern Corn Chowder is a warm and comforting easy to make vegetarian soup that’s got a little spicy kick from the chipotle and poblano peppers. It’s filled with veggies, and it’s a great meal the whole family will love.

Corn chowder in a ceramic bowl with cilantro garnish and lime wedges surrounded by different veggies

Cozy Soup

This is one of my favorite soups. I make it all the time. I love how easy it is to make, and how delicious it is. It’s chock full of yummy veggies, and it’s warm and comforting.

This Southwestern Corn Chowder is a hearty bowl of soup that will warm your soul. And after all, soup is good food!

Southwestern Corn Chowder in a pot with red handles surrounded by veggies on a wooden background

We appreciate your support

This post may contain affiliate links. Life Currents participates in different affiliate programs. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information see here.

Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.

a square image looking down (or flatlay) at a bowl of corn chowder with potatoes, cilantro, and tomatoes next to it. There's a spoon on a white napkin

Soup weather

Some people look forward to pumpkin spice season. I look forward to soup season.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’d eat soup all year round, regardless of how hot it is outside. But, my husband isn’t a big believer in a nice big bowl of hot soup when it’s hot summer weather outside.

So, I have to patiently wait for soup season. I even declared once that I was “hopeful soup-ing” when I wanted it to be colder and I made soup even though it was hot outside!

Southwestern Corn Chowder in a cermaic bowl with lime wedges

Spice level

This soup is a medium-hot spice level.

There are two kinds of peppers adding heat to it. Both the poblano and the chipotle add a little spicy kick to the soup.

What’s a chipotle?

A chipotle is a dried and smoked jalapeño pepper.

And, when dried, the poblano pepper is called an ancho chili pepper (smoked or not). Sometimes you’ll see smoked poblanos erroneously called chipotles.

close up on the Southwestern Corn Chowder garlished with cilantro

Chipotle paste or dried ground chipotle powder

Keep dried ground chipotle powder in the spice cupboard. It’s so shelf stable, and love the convenience of it.

I also love using chipotle paste that I make from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce. Find the full instructions here. But, basically, simply dump the whole can – peppers and sauce and all, in a blender and puree.

It makes all the spice level the same. No more pulling one chile out to find that it’s scorching hot while another one from the same can is medium spicy.

And I keep the chipotle paste in the freezer for longer storage.

Either the ground chipotle powder or the chipotle paste will work great in this recipe. And, it’s easy to measure either one.

a bowl full of Southwestern Corn Chowder garnished with cilantro

Can I make it less spicy?

Want a more mild Southwestern Corn Chowder?

You can cut the poblano pepper in half and only use half in the soup.

Cut the chipotle amount in half as well.

Topping the soup with sour cream as a garnish will also mellow the heat level.

Keep in mind that some peppers grow hotter than others too, so one poblano pepper might be more mild than another.

Use your favorite broth

What already tastes good to you is what will end up being your favorite.

I use (affiliate link) Better Than Bouillon vegetable base for pretty much all of my cooking (if it’s not homemade broth). I like that it isn’t too salty, and how little space it takes to store so much broth.

Oh, and by the way, they have lots of different flavors of Better Than Bouillon to choose from.

If you aren’t used to vegetable broth, and you prefer chicken broth, use that.

Add-ins

There are lots of ways to add other flavors and textures to this soup.

Try adding a can of white beans for a little extra protein. Black beans would also work well.

Toss in a little shredded chicken

Mix in some shredded pepperjack cheese at the end for a cheesy soup

Add a handful of fresh spinach leaves to the soup for a fun green addition.

sauteed peppers with spices in a pot

The red pepper and poblano sauteed in the pot with all the spices

creamy soup in a pot

I’ve added the corn and the cream-style corn and am ready to heat it through for the final 10 minutes.

Garnishes

Of course cilantro and lime wedges are delicious!

Sour cream and cheese are always welcome to the party. Try cotija cheese on top for even more southwestern flair.

Toss some broken chips on top for a fiesta soup.

Looking for more great soups?

I love soup, and have a ton of recipes for different ones. Some of my favorites are Red Pepper Gnocchi Soup, Mushroom Soup, Tomato Lentil Soup, and Slow Cooker Tomato Parmesan. And check out all of my soup recipes!

Let’s Connect

If you like seeing my recipes subscribe via email in the upper right.
Or, connect with me on your favorite social media channel for recipes, photos, & much more:
Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter!
And find my shop on Amazon for recommendations on cool tools

If you try this recipe,
please come back & leave a comment below letting us know how it goes.
Share a picture & tag @lifecurrents on Instagram.
Or you can upload a “tried it” photo (I would love to see)
via the pin.

Southwestern Corn Chowder long pin for pinterest with two images and a title

Southwestern Corn Chowder Recipe

Southwestern Corn Chowder in a cermaic bowl with lime wedges

Southwestern Corn Chowder

Debi
Southwestern Corn Chowder is a warm and comforting easy to make vegetarian soup that’s got a little spicy kick from the chipotle and poblano peppers. It’s filled with veggies, and it’s a great meal the whole family will love.
5 from 4 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe
Prevent your screen from going to sleep.
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 45 minutes mins
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings
Calories 339 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 poblano pepper seeded and chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper seeded and chopped
  • 1 teaspoon chipotle powder or 1 teaspoon chipotle paste
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 pound baby potatoes quartered
  • 3 carrots chopped
  • 16 ounces frozen sweet corn
  • 15 ounces canned cream-style corn
  • Chopped cilantro for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the chopped poblano pepper, chopped red bell pepper, chipotle, cumin, thyme, oregano, and garlic powder, and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the peppers become soft.
  • Stir in the flour, and cook for 1 minute. Slowly stir in the milk and vegetable broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan as you stir.
  • Add the potatoes and carrots, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and can be easily pierced with a knife.
  • Stir in the frozen corn and the cream-style corn. Cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes, or until the soup is completely heated through. Serve with lime wedges and cilantro for garnish.

Notes

If you have leftovers that have been refrigerated and reheated, you may need to thin them with a little extra broth or water, as the soup tends to thicken up in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Calories: 339kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 10gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 605mgPotassium: 989mgFiber: 7gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 6305IUVitamin C: 67mgCalcium: 170mgIron: 2mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

Keyword corn chowder, southwestern
Tried this recipe?Mention @LifeCurrents or tag #LifeCurrents!
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Yum

Filed Under: Budget, Lunch, Main Dish, Soups & Stews, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian, Weeknight meals Tagged With: chipotle, chowder, Cooking, corn, dinner, Food, healthy, Meatless Monday, poblano, recipe, red pepper, vegetarian, weeknight

You May Also Like

square crop of a slice of Blackberry Clafoutis on a white plate with a piece taken out of it on a fork to the left.
Blackberry Clafoutis
square crop of a fig and brie mini pie that's been bitten open so you can see the inside with chives behind it.
Fig and Brie Bites
three cookies topped with sea salt on a piece of parchment paper.
Brown Butter Sea Salt Cookies
desserts
Subscribe

Join my mailing list to receive the latest recipes FREE to your inbox!

about debi

ABOUT DEBI

Hello! I’m Debi, the girl behind Life Currents where I write about mainly healthy vegetarian dishes. My husband eats meat, so occasionally I share some of his dishes as well. And, I’ll share tasty treats and projects that we do. Read more...

Previous Post: « Toasted Pumpkin Seed Vinaigrette
Next Post: Instant Pot Apple Butter »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Liren Baker

    September 17, 2019 at 5:46 pm

    Love the combination of peppers to add extra depth to this chowder!

  2. Elizabeth Mateus

    July 28, 2020 at 3:44 pm

    You mention carrots in the instruction, but not in the list of ingredients.

  3. Debi

    July 29, 2020 at 5:36 am

    Elizabeth, yes, carrots are in the list of ingredients. 3 carrots, chopped. It’s right under potatoes, the 4th ingredient from the bottom. Hope that helps.

  4. Vee

    October 18, 2020 at 6:05 am

    What is the serving size? I see it makes 6 servings, but what is the amount of each serving?

  5. Debi

    October 18, 2020 at 6:09 am

    Vee, a serving of this soup is about 1 cup to 1.5 cups. Hope that helps.

  6. Bonnie

    December 5, 2020 at 7:17 pm

    5 stars
    I made the Southwesten Corn Chowder tonight and it was delicious. It was everything that I hoped that it would be. I found that the prep time was way more than 15 minutes with peeling carrots, cutting potato’s and chopping peppers. It is all well and good, but there is just no way that I could have prepped all this in 15 minutes…but I did double the recipe.

  7. Kathy Walters

    November 15, 2021 at 11:58 am

    5 stars
    Just made this and it is delicious. I forgot to add the Lime and Cilantro at the end but it was still Yummy. Will add it with the next meal. I had a large hot Poblano so only used about 3/4 of it and it was perfect. So watch the heat unless you like really hot things

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Hello! I’m Debi, the girl behind Life Currents where I write about mainly healthy vegetarian dishes. My husband eats meat, so occasionally I share some of his dishes as well. And, I’ll share tasty treats and projects that we do. Read More >>>

desserts
Subscribe

Join my mailing list to receive the latest recipes FREE to your inbox!

Most Popular Recipes

square crop looking down on a small white bowl filled with ranch and surrounded by vegetables and a lemon wedge.
A spoonful of chocolate pudding on top of the glass serving dish of pudding.
A chip that's been dipped in cheese and the bowl of cheese is behind it.
looking fown in a cast iron skillet filled with White Bean Sun-Dried Tomato Gnocchi and a wooden spoon sticking out.
square crop of a bowl of soup being served with a ladle.
a large bowl full of vegetarian pot pie soup and a spoon next to it.
cooked green beans in a ceramic bowl, cropped square image
Two cups of Mexican Mocha drink with a blue plate and napkin around them.
Cinnamon Sore Throat Tea by Life Currents https://lifecurrentsblog.com

Footer

SEEN ON

as seen on

Life Currents is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

This month’s featured recipes: Aztec Chocolate, Flan Recipe, How to Cook Bok Choy, and Tea for Sore Throat.

Want to tip me? You can Buy Me a Coffee! And thanks!

© 2023 lifecurrentsblog.com. All rights reserved. Find my Privacy Policy Here.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Yummly