Published: Apr 6, 2020 by Loreto · 26 Comments

Homestyle Butternut Squash Grilled Corn Chowder

Homestyle Butternut Squash Grilled Corn Chowder. Talk about hearty comfort in a bowl. This soup has so much flavor and texture! Every spoonful will offer nothing but a sheer delight to your taste buds and a luxurious warmth to your stomach!

Song of the day: "Take the Long Way Home" by Supertramp.

Butternut Squash Grilled Corn Chowder-from the top

Homestyle Butternut Squash Grilled Corn Chowder. This soup is packed with roasted butternut squash flavor, enticed by earthy mushrooms, rich cauliflower, and a beautifully grilled herb corn. Add in melt in your mouth potatoes and a velvety smokey cheddar, and the end result is a winner in all aspects that your family will totally enjoy together!

Homebound..........................

I don't think any of us would have thought that we would be isolated and consequently having social distancing with loads of anxiety about our future. Some of us even separated from our loved ones. It would have been two weeks before Nicoletta would have been home. I would have cleaned the house top to bottom, have some surprises that I had completed in the house for Nicoletta and we would be planning our first breakfast out!

That is not happening and I don't know when she will be back home. I miss her so much and even call her name when I go into our bedroom at night! It is tough but I have to stay strong and always have a few minutes a few times a day to visualize me picking up Nicoletta from the airport.

Coping..............................

How do I cope with all these emotions and feelings? I turn them around and put that energy into creativity and getting things done. Getting into the music room at least once a day is a must. One thing for sure is I try not to watch too much news and most of all, my go-to is cooking. I love to cook healthy, delicious, substantial, economic dishes! This Homestyle Butternut Squash Grilled Corn Chowder is exactly that and I am so happy to have you share some time in the kitchen with me. Showing you just how easy it is to make a soup that is purely divine!

It would have been better sharing this recipe with Nicoletta by my side, if you think about it really in the virtual world we are side by side working diligently to bring you these great recipes, with all the passion that we have!

Time to get cooking...............................

Let's gather up the ingredients we need and get this soup on the stove simmering. This is what you will need:

1 butternut squash, halved, and seeds scooped out
4 cloves garlic
2 small cipollini onions
1 medium zucchini
½ onion
3 cobs of corn
3 carrots
a variety of mushrooms (cremini, shiitake, oyster)
cauliflower
cabbage
potato
vegetable broth
half & half cream
apple-wood smoked cheddar cheese
sea salt, cracked black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, red chili flakes

Butternut Squash Grilled Corn Chowder-ingredients

First things first............

There are a few things we need to do before we put this chowder together:

Firstly we have to roast the squash. Just drizzle some olive oil on the insides, season with salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder. Place a clove of garlic and a cipollini onion into the pit of the squash. Turn over onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Into a nice hot oven it goes till fork tender.
Secondly, we need to clean the corn and boil it up.
Thirdly we need to prep the carrots, mushrooms, celery, onion, zucchini by washing, peeling the ones that need peeling, and dicing them all up.
Fourthly, saute all the veggies in a large pot with olive oil, garlic, and seasoning.
Lastly, grate up some of that smoked cheddar.

Grilling time.............................

Just to get some of that charred flavor, I am going to grill the corn and cut the onion into ¼ inch rounds, toss in seasoning and olive oil and herb, and onto the grill they go!

Butternut Squash Grilled Corn Chowder-butternut squash in the pot

Multi-tasking..........................

This soup requires some multi-tasking. In one pot we have the pulp of the squash, garlic, charred grilled onion and a nice dollop of butter. In another pot, there are all those lovely veggies that we are sauteing to bring out the best flavor in them. A little seasoning and we are close to getting this soup finished. I wish you could smell all the aromas that are going through the kitchen. It has my stomach growling and my mouth watering. Is it lunchtime yet?? Lol.

Butternut Squash Grilled Corn Chowder-adding corn

A little roux goes a long way.........................

This type of soup demands a thicker rich velvety broth and a great way to achieve that is to make a roux. How do you do that, you ask. I am so glad you are asking. It is easy: in the pot with the squash and grilled onion, I put that dollop of butter. This is going to combine with some flour that we are going to dust into the pot. It is going to form a paste and we want to toast that for a bit so we don't get a raw flour taste in the broth.

In goes the broth.............

This is the time we put the vegetable broth in and blend all the ingredients together with a hand blender. You are going to start to see the broth thicken and in goes our half and half cream. This looks so creamy and delicious, I have to taste it for seasoning. Wow, that is some creamy hearty soup. I take the veggies from the other pot and toss them into that creamy broth and now you are beginning to see just how hearty and comforting this Homestyle Butternut Squash Grilled Corn Chowder is!

Butternut Squash Grilled Corn Chowder-adding cheese

Final touches..............................

Okay, we are on the last leg of this soup and all that is left is to put in the corn that we shucked after is cooled from the grill. I can't wait to taste all these flavors and textures. This is going to be so good! Oh, one more thing, let's not forget that shredded smoked cheddar. This is going to take this Homestyle Butternut Squash Grilled Corn Chowder from uber delicious to over the top on the flavor town train to foodie heaven!

Butternut Squash Grilled Corn Chowder-feature

Time to ladle this masterpiece.......................

Look at how chunky this soup is. The only question is do we eat it with a fork or a spoon? I say a spoon because I want the whole total texture and flavor experience and honestly don't want any of that creamy goodness to go to waste!

Butternut Squash Grilled Corn Chowder-in the bowl with spoon

Time to dive in................................

I have to say that I love al the texture and chunkiness of this soup. The way the creamy broth just enhances every spoonful. The sweet and smokiness of the grilled onion, corn, and that applewood smoked cheddar add such a lovely balance to the whole thing and those potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, and zucchini just melt in your mouth. This soup is a flavor and texture extravaganza. The richness and the sophisticated blend take you on the most comforting and luscious journey that is such a delight to the senses. This is definitely a must-try soup!

Final thoughts..............................

It seems to be a difficult time and difficult times call for creative, well-rounded solutions. Cooking offers a great distraction and also brings us together making meals that are substantial, delicious and economical. If you are looking for a lunch or dinner idea then I have just the thing. How about a creamy, chunky, sweet, slightly spicy, smokey blend of flavor and texture? This will absolutely comfort you and delight you in many ways!

Get into the kitchen and let's play, be joyful, and have some great family fun time creating Homestyle Butternut Squash Grilled Corn Chowder!

Enjoy!