Soups

January 15, 2024

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

This Cheesy Vegetable Chowder is on repeat all soup season long! And maybe long after, because what’s not to love about a thick, creamy, comforting chowder?

For real though, this has become my most-requested soup from my family this year. I shouldn’t be surprised, as we all love hearty, creamy soups like cream of potato and broccoli cheddar. So of course when I mashed those two classic favorites together in this Cheesy Vegetable Chowder, it was love at first bite. 

Our regular weekly menu plan of Souper Sunday became Souper Saturday during the most recent cold snap in the Pacific Northwest. I love making soups on the weekend, when I take just a little extra time to prepare meals and slow down before diving into the week ahead. As with most soups, this definitely gets better the next day, so it makes great leftovers for lunches during the week.

Serve Cheesy Vegetable Chowder with some good crusty bread like my dad’s sourdough loaf pictured here, or your favorite crackers for dunking. But - I usually can’t stop long enough between bites of this soup to even bother!

Ingredients assembled for Cheesy Vegetable Chowder
Assemble your ingredients.

Stages of sautéing vegetables and spices
Saute onions, carrots, garlic and spices, then add flour to create your soup base.

Stages of adding broth, then diced potatoes, then broccoli and corn to the soup
Add broth, then diced potatoes. Once the potatoes are just tender, add broccoli to cook for a few minutes, and then add the frozen corn.

Stages of adding milk and cheeses to the soup
Once vegetables are just cooked, add milk and spices to heat through. Then add the cream cheese and grated cheddar and stir until fully melted and incorporated.

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder with a wooden spoon in a beige dutch oven on the stove
Get ready to enjoy Cheesy Vegetable Chowder!

A bowl of Cheesy Vegetable Chowder with sliced bread and a pat of butter on a side plate
Serve Cheesy Vegetable Chowder with bread and butter on the side.

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

This Cheesy Vegetable Chowder is on repeat all soup season long! And maybe long after, because what’s not to love about a thick, creamy, comforting chowder?

Author:

Kira Freed - The Joyful Plateful

Prep:

10

min

cook:

45

min

total:

55

min

Ingredients

6 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 cup shredded carrots

1 tsp. kosher salt

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. dried Italian seasoning

Generous 1/4 tsp. dry ground mustard 

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, diced

16 ounces frozen broccoli florets

1 cup frozen corn

2 cups milk (see notes)

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

4 ounces cream cheese

2 heaping cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions

  1. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, melt butter. Once butter is melted, add diced onion and saute for about 5 minutes, until just translucent. 
  2. Add the shredded carrots and kosher salt, and saute an additional 3 minutes. 
  3. Add minced garlic, and saute one minute.
  4. Add Italian seasoning and ground mustard and cook about 30 seconds, staring frequently. 
  5. Add the all-purpose flour and stir until mixture becomes very thick, then cook for another minute, stirring often to move mixture around and cook flour. 
  6. Add the vegetable broth and stir until flour-vegetable mixture breaks up and mixture begins to thicken.
  7. Add the diced potatoes, cover, and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce heat to medium-low and cook potatoes about 15 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Test the potatoes after 15 minutes with a fork - it should pierce easily. 
  8. Add the frozen broccoli florets to the pot, cover, and cook 7-8 minutes, until broccoli is tender. Continue stirring frequently.
  9. Add the frozen corn to the pot and cook about 3 minutes, covered. 
  10. Remove the lid, and add the milk, nutmeg, and black pepper. Allow the milk to heat through for a minute or two, then add the cream cheese. Stir until the cream cheese is melted and there’s no visible pieces. 
  11. Add the grated sharp cheddar cheese and stir until melted and fully incorporated. 
  12. Taste the soup and add additional kosher salt, to taste. Remove from the heat and serve immediately with crusty bread or crackers. 


Notes: 

  • You can use dairy or plant-based milk in this recipe. I typically use 1% milk, but a creamy plant milk such as oat would also be delicious. 
  • I have not tested this recipe with vegan cheese alternatives, such as tofu cream cheese or plant-based cheddar. If you do, report back!

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