Winter Vegetable Chowder

Submitted by SuzV2796

"From Good Housekeeping. Have not tried yet-- just adding it to my files."

 

• Ready In: 50mins
• Ingredients: 12
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 6 medium leeks (3 lbs)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 medium stalks celery, chopped
• 3 medium parsnips, chopped
• 2 medium red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 cups butternut squash, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 1⁄4 cups vegetable broth
• 4 cups water
• 1⁄2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves, plus thyme sprig (to garnish)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup half-and-half or 1 cup light cream

directions

1. Cut off roots and trim dark-green tops from leeks. Discard any tough outer leaves. Cut each leek lengthwise in half then crosswise into 1/2"-wide slices. Rinse leeks in large bowl of cold water. Swish to remove sand. With hands, transfer rinsed leeks to colander, leavving sand in bottom of bowl. Repeat rinsing and draining sereral times, until all sand is removed. Drain well.
2. In a 6 qt saucepot, heat olive oil on medium-high heat until hot. Add leeks, celery, and parsnips, and cook 10 to 12 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.
3. Add potatoes, squash, broth, water, thyme, salt and pepper; heat to boiling over medium-high heat. Cover saucepan, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
4. Stir in half and half and hat through, about 13 minutes.
5. Spoon into tureen and garnish with the sprig.

Reviews

[Dr. Jenny]

This is a hearty, filling winter vegetable chowder recipe. It's a little prep-intesive, but I enjoyed the final dish. DH thought it a little bland for his taste, but I thought mine improved with the addition of a little extra salt and pepper. The only modification I made was to use heavy cream, as that is what I had on hand. This makes a lot of chowder, so I am looking forward to bringing it to work for lunch in the upcoming days. Thanks for posting.