Everyone seems to be talking about corn these days. With the viral song about corn, it seems most of us can appreciate the vegetable for it’s sweetness and versatility. Corn just seems to go with everything! This hearty corn chowder recipe is sure to keep your family warm this fall and winter. It’s so tasty and comforting, you may find yourselves going back for a second serving! Bonus, this recipe is filled with WIC-approved vegetables.

WIC-INSPIRED VEGETABLE RECIPE

CORN CHOWDER

2 tablespoons butter

4 slices of bacon (optional)

1 onion 

2 celery stalks 

1 bell pepper

1 jalapeno 

1 large carrot 

3 medium potatoes 

6 ears of corn

5 cups milk

1 bay leaf

Salt & Pepper

Smoked Paprika

Green onion

Peel potatoes and dice along with onion, celery, carrot, bell pepper, and jalapeno.  Shuck the husks off the corn and slice corn kernels off of the cobs, then save the cobs for later. (You can also use canned or frozen corn to skip this step! But you’ll want to add the corn in with the rest of the veggies to get more corn flavor) Slice some green onion & shred some cheese to top off each bowl of corn chowder if you like!

Place butter and bacon into a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot. Heat on medium high heat until the bacon renders its fat, about 5 minutes.

Cook the vegetables (except the corn and potatoes):

Add the chopped onions, celery, bell pepper, jalapeno, and carrot, and lower the heat to medium and cook until vegetables are well softened, about 10 minutes.

Break the corn cobs in half (after you’ve stripped off the corn) and add the cobs to the pot. Add the milk and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Cover the pot and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After 20 minutes, discard the cobs and the bay leaf. Add the potatoes, corn, salt, pepper, and paprika to the pot. Increase the heat to return the soup to a simmer, then lower the heat to maintain the simmer and cook for another 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Stir often to prevent milk from curdling. Add more salt, pepper, and paprika to taste, and add a little shredded cheese and sliced green onion on top of each bowl when serving. Enjoy!

Visit Lone Star Family Market get get all your WIC foods in one easy stop. There are 7 locations in Austin, Round Rock and San Marcos. Find more recipes using WIC foods on our blog.