Easy Cheesy Vegetable Chowder (Christmas Chowder)
With its red and green accents, this rich and cheesy vegetable chowder looks like Christmas and tastes good year round! This recipe is a copycat for Cafe Zupas’ delicious (and sadly discontinued) Garden Vegetable Chowder.
Who says vegetable soup recipes have to be boring? This perfect comfort food combines lots of veggies, savory vegetable broth, and an explosion of cheddar flavor. Boasting a creamy texture studded with softened veggies, it’s a winter soup you’ll want to add to your favorite dinner recipes.
Not only is this vegetarian corn chowder recipe absolutely delicious, it’s actually very easy to make. You can have a restaurant-quality bowl of hot soup in under 30 minutes. It’s a great recipe for a weeknight dinner that feels gourmet.
Ingredients
While vegetable chowder tastes fresh from the restaurant, you can get everything you need at your local grocery store.
- Zucchini: You’ll need 2 medium zucchini for this recipe.
- Roma Tomatoes: While you can use any tomatoes for this recipe, roma tomatoes have the least excess juice and allow you keep that pretty yellow color with little red accents.
- Onion: Yellow or white onion works best in this recipe. You can also use a sweet onion, but do not use red onion.
- Butter: Unsalted or salted butter both work in this recipe. If using salted butter, just omit some of the salt at the end. You can sub this with margarine.
- Lemon Juice: This gives the chowder brightness and preserves the color of the vegetables. Fresh or bottled juice works.
- Dried Basil: You can also use fresh basil finely minced.
- Dried Parsley: Fresh finely minced parsley works as well.
- Flour: Flour is used to thicken the soup into a rich, creamy chowder. I tested this recipe with all-purpose flour.
- Vegetable Broth: Vegetable bouillon and water can also be used. You could use chicken bouillon or chicken broth, although the flavor will be different.
- Frozen Corn: Frozen corn gives the best texture in this soup, but you can also use canned or fresh corn. Do not use cream-style corn — it will mess with the texture of the soup.
- Heavy Cream: Do NOT sub this with half-and-half. It will curdle. You can use non-dairy heavy cream, or even coconut milk as substitutions.
- Grated Parmesan: I use the parmesan in the shaker, but you can use fresh grated parmesan cheese as well.
- Grated Cheddar: You can use sharp, milk, or extra sharp cheddar depending on your preferences.
Instructions
Step 1 | Chop the Veggies
Start by chopping all of your veggies and herbs. You’ll need to cut the zucchini and tomatoes into small chunks. Mince the onion, and, if you’re using fresh herbs, finely mince them.
Step 2 | Make the Base
In a soup pot or large dutch oven, melt butter on medium heat. Add the onion and zucchini and sauté until the veggies are soft and the onions are translucent. This is going to form the base of this soup.
To the sautéd veggies, add the parsley, basil, pepper, and flour. Sauté for another minute or two to let the flavors get acquainted.
Step 3 | Add Liquid and Simmer
To the sautéd vegetables and herbs, add the broth and stir until smooth. Then, add the lemon juice and cream, as well as the corn and tomatoes.
Stir everything well, then lower the heat to low and allow this to simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Step 4 | Add Cheese
Finally, remove your large pot from the heat. Add the parmesan and grated cheddar and stir until it melts into the chowder.
Step 5 | Enjoy!
Let the soup cool a bit, then you can ladle up and enjoy! You can garnish it with chopped fresh parsley or basil, and a dollop of cream or sour cream. For a complete meal, serve with garlic bread or a roll just like Cafe Zupas!
Tips
- For an even more creamy soup, you can blend the finished chowder smooth in a food processor or use an immersion blender.
- For a little spice, consider adding red pepper flakes.
- If adding meat doesn’t bother you, bacon bits would make a great garnish!
More Comforting Soups
FAQs
Absolutely! This chowder stores well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Just reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave, stirring frequently to avoid curdling.
The name “Christmas chowder” comes from its festive appearance with red from the tomatoes and green from the zucchini. Lobster or clam chowder is a common Christmas food in many parts of the world, and this is a vegetarian option for those who want to participate in the tradition.
To store leftovers, allow the chowder to cool to room temperature before transferring it to an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If the chowder contains cream or milk, stir it well before reheating to prevent separation.
Sure thing! Bell pepper, celery, and even cubed potatoes or sweet potatoes go well in this recipe!
Cheesy Vegetable Chowder
Ingredients
- 2 zucchini
- 4 roma tomatoes
- 1 onion
- ⅓ cup butter
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ⅓ cup flour
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup frozen corn
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Chop zucchini and tomatoes in small chunks. Mince onion.
- In a large soup pot, melt butter. Sauté onion and zucchini until zucchini is soft and onion is translucent. Add parsley, basil, salt, pepper, and flour and stir.
- Add the vegetable broth and stir.
- Add lemon juice, heavy cream, corn, and chopped tomatoes. Bring to a boil while stirring, then lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove soup from heat and add cheese. Stir until the soup is creamy and the cheese has melted.
- Allow soup to cool slightly and serve.
