White Bean Chowder

Starrynews's Note:

A lovely, filling soup with sweet and spicy flavors from the sweet corn and spices. I found this in a Dairy Favorites card at the grocery and made a few tweaks for our preferences. You can also sub white cannellini beans for the great northern - I just find it easier to locate the great northerns in my area.

• Total Time: 35 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 (15 ounce) cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (4 ounce) can green chilies, diced
• 1 cup corn kernel
• 1/2 cup carrot, grated
• 1/4 cup celery, diced
• 1 cup chicken or 1 cup vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded and divided
• 4 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat and saute the onion and garlic until onion is softened.
2. Add one can of beans and mash roughly.
3. Stir in remaining can of beans, green chilies, corn, carrots, celery, and broth.
4. Bring soup to a simmer and stir in the cumin, chili powder, and cayenne pepper.
5. Combine milk and cornstarch, stirring well.
6. Stir the milk mixture into the soup, bringing it gradually to a boil.
7. Reduce heat and allow soup to simmer until veggies are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir frequently.
8. Stir in 3/4 c of the cheese, reserving the remainder for use as garnish, and remove from heat.
9. Serve garnished with cheese and cilantro.
10. Note: I usually serve with some hot sauce on the table for those who like to add some heat.

Reviews

[Cookgirl]

This soup was adapted for the slow cooker as follows: cooked the dry beans in the morning. Sauteed onion, garlic and celery in a small amount of olive oil. Added all ingredients except for can of green chilies to the pot and cooked on LOW 4 1/2 hours. Milk was added the last ten minutes of cooking and heated through. Fresh chilies were sliced up and served on the side along with Cornbread. Reviewed for Veg Swap #19.

[SarasotaCook]

Very good soup. Made it as is. A couple a little tweaks, extra garlic. My preference, I used chicken broth vs veggie, but you mentioned either. I used white cheddar again because I had it on hand, but no difference in taste and I used 1/2 cream, and 1/2 milk because the milk I had was 2%. It worked out fine. And the carrot, I just fine diced, but again no change in flavor. I used cannellini vs great northern, but either or, basic same flavor and texture; besides that way I didn't have to go to the store. I loved it, very hearty, great flavors that all blended very nicely. Loved the cumin, spice and the cilantro to finish it off.

I did do mine stove top as I was in a hurry, but sauteed the veggies, added the broth beans, seasoning and just simmered. Very very easy to put together.

I will definitely be making this again. I love to have an all veggie soup sometimes for a change. It was excellent!!

[slh1078_7720168]

Great taste and easy to make. If you don't have a lot of time, get Mirepoix (a mix of chopped carrots, onions, and celery) either in the produce or frozen vegetables section. Then you only need to throw everything together, a matter of minutes.
And I just realized another advantage...this recipe can be low-sodium. There is some salt in the beans and cheese but when you rinse the beans that removes some of the salt. Just use low-sodium broth and you're on your way!