Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Corn Chowder is a great vegetarian meal paired with a vegetable, bread and salad. This chowder is creamy and cheesy with a hint of smoky flavor from the chipotle peppers.

SLOW COOKER CHEESY POTATO CORN CHOWDER

Ohio is really confused. I mean a few weeks ago we were talking 70 degrees one day, 30 degrees the next day.

I don’t understand how, in the midst of spring flowers and green grass, we can get snow.

I guess after living in the Midwest for most of my life I should be used to this crazy spring weather, but I am not.

When I am ready for spring, I am ready!

Today’s Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Corn Chowder seemed like the perfect slow cooker meal to bring us through those cold, rainy days of spring. This soup is creamy and cheesy and oh, so comforting.

Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Corn Chowder - dinner

Mike and I went out to a new restaurant a few weeks back called the Twisted Olive. If you live in the Cleveland/Akron area check it out! The food was great and the atmosphere was really fun. I started my meal with a cup of Chipotle Potato Soup. I loved the sound of it and I was not disappointed. I knew when we left the restaurant that I had to recreate something similar at home.

The version at the restaurant was pretty spicy so I toned it down for my version but of course that is up to you.

I made this Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Corn Chowder in a slow cooker, because you can never have enough of those recipes.

I quickly sautéed the chopped carrots, celery, onion, garlic and spices first and then added that to the slow cooker along with potatoes, a chipotle pepper in adobo sauce and vegetable broth.

If you are into that smoky flavor you can try 2 or 3 chipotle peppers. For my kids it is always safe to use a little less when it comes to a new flavor like that.

Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Corn Chowder - creamy and cheesy

I loved the croutons that the restaurant topped their soup with so I had to do that along with fresh cilantro, extra corn and more pepperjack cheese.

Other garnish ideas include sour cream, green onions and cheddar cheese.

I wanted to make this chowder vegetarian since we try to do a few meals a week without meat, but if you want you can add some shredded chicken or cooked bacon. Either would work great in a chowder like this!

My version uses a little heavy cream, which I know isn’t the healthiest option, but I felt with a chowder like this you had to achieve that creamy texture.

To lighten this up you could use milk or even try a little Greek yogurt for a tangy option.

Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Corn Chowder

Name: Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Corn Chowder
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 6 h
Total time: 6 h 15 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 Tablespoons olive oil; 1/2 large sweet onion, chopped; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 2 large carrots, peeled, chopped {about 1 1/2 cups}; 1 celery stalk, chopped; 1 teaspoon cumin; 5-6 russet potatoes, peeled, chopped into cubes; 4 cups vegetable broth; 1 - 15 oz. can corn, drained, rinsed; 1 chipotle chili pepper in adobo sauce {more or less depending on your tastes}; 1 teaspoon cumin; 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper {optional for spice}; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper; 1/2 cup heavy cream {you can use half and half or even milk}; 1 cup pepper jack cheese {more for garnish}; 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper {optional for spice}

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours

Total Time: 6 hours 15 minutes

Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Corn Chowder is a great vegetarian meal paired with a vegetable, bread and salad. This chowder is creamy and cheesy with a hint of smoky flavor from the chipotle peppers.

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 large sweet onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 large carrots, peeled, chopped {about 1 1/2 cups}
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
5-6 russet potatoes, peeled, chopped into cubes
4 cups vegetable broth
1 - 15 oz. can corn, drained, rinsed
1 chipotle chili pepper in adobo sauce {more or less depending on your tastes}
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper {optional for spice}
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream {you can use half and half or even milk}
1 cup pepper jack cheese {more for garnish}
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper {optional for spice}

Instructions

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 Tablespoons olive oil. Sauté the onion, garlic, carrots, celery and cumin for 2-3 minutes {you can skip this step if you like, it just help release the flavors before putting it in the slow cooker}.
Add the carrot mixture to the slow cooker along with the potatoes, vegetable broth, corn, chipotle pepper, cayenne pepper, kosher salt, pepper and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours {cook times vary on the slow cooker}.
When done you can use an immersion blender or regular blender to puree the soup to the constancy you like or you can leave the soup chunky. Add the heavy cream and cheese into the soup and stir. Let sit for a few minutes to let the cheese melt. Add crushed red pepper if you like.
Serve the soup in soup bowls with extra pepper jack cheese, chopped green onion, sour cream and croutons.