Bacon and Corn Chowder

Inspired by  Cooking Light

I love making soups in the fall when the weather starts to get cold and this soup is a new recipe that I decided to try.  The mixture of bacon and corn is a great fall flavor with jalapeños for a tex-mex flair.  You can adjust the amount of the jalapeños for the perfect amount of spice for you.  I tried roasting the corn in the oven, and it didn't work very well, so I don't recommend it.  Overall, this recipe is really easy to make, quick, and healthy too!

Ingredients

• 2 bacon slices
• ¼ Vidalia onion (diced)
• ¼ red bell pepper (diced)
• 2 (16-ounce) packages frozen corn  (thawed)
• 2 cups skim milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
• Half of a jalapeño without the membrane or seeds

Directions

1.     Cook bacon in a large soup pot until crisp, then remove the bacon from the pot. Crumble the bacon by either cutting with a knife or tearing the bacon apart with your hands.

2.     Add onion and red pepper to the undrained pan and cook until tender and caramelized. Add Jalapeños to warm them.

 

 

3.     Add one of the bags of corn to the pan and heat. Also add the crumbled bacon.

4.     Place the other bag of corn into a blender with 1 cup of the milk and blend until smooth.

5.     Add the corn/milk puree to the vegetables in the pan and stir in the other cup of milk, salt and pepper to taste. Also add cheese.

6.     Cook over medium heat until cheese is melted (do not boil).

7.     Serve.