This freezer corn chowder recipe is one that you are going to thank me for sharing. I haven’t met anyone yet who doesn’t like it. It is hearty which makes it perfect for a cold day. It stretches far if you pair it with salad or buns. And it has bacon. That right there pretty much seals the deal!
When I make this soup, I quadruple it and divide it into four large resealable freezer bags. There is pretty much never a time when I don’t have this in my freezer. I pull it out for unexpected company, for lunches, as a starter or side dish, or as a full dinner if I serve bread or buns with it.
As I type this, we are in the mountains on our annual family ski trip. I brought freezer meals with us because the condo we rent has a kitchen and when you travel with this many kids, it’s not realistic to eat in restaurants. I chose meals to bring that were hearty, delicious and easy to reheat. When my kids come in off the ski hill, they are HUNGRY!
This time, the freezer meals I brought with us were chili, turkey noodle soup made from holiday leftovers, tortellini soup, and corn chowder. When I told the kids today that we were having corn chowder for supper tonight, there were cheers. It’s that good!
What the kids don’t realize is that this recipe is so easy to make. Whenever I serve this soup when we have guests over, they ask for the recipe and then can’t believe how simple it is.
Soups with a creamy consistency, like potato or chowders, might not taste good after freezing because it affects the texture and makes potatoes mushy. Rice, beans, and noodle soups might also taste different or become mushy. Typically, broth-based soups will freeze well.
Corn Chowder with Bacon Recipe:
- 1/2 an onion, chopped
- 15 oz. can sweet corn (or you can use 15 oz. of frozen kernel corn)
- 15 oz. can cream corn
- 12 oz. can evaporated milk
- 10 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
To prep everything for this recipe, all you need to do is chop the onion and cook and crumble the bacon. You can cook the bacon however you prefer to cook it, whether that be in the microwave, in the oven or on the stovetop in a skillet. I would probably use the microwave if I were only making one of this recipe (which I’ve never done since I always make at least four of these at a time), but to make more, I use the skillet or oven.
Once your onion and bacon are prepped, stir everything together in a large bowl. Put a large resealable freezer bag into a juice jug and fold it over the top. This will hold the bag open for you as you pour the soup in. Pour the soup into the bag, take the bag out of the jug, remove the extra air, seal it and freeze.
On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer to thaw and heat on stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave. If you prefer, you can also heat the soup in the slow cooker on low for 2-3 hours.
Clam chowder is quite a hearty and comforting dish. In fact, from time to time, you may have even made more of it than you can reasonably consume and have wondered, “Can I freeze leftover clam chowder?” You are not alone in your wondering. There are plenty of pioneering cooks out there who have done the hands-on research for us and the answer, according to the blog The Fork Bite, is yes, you can freeze your clam chowder. However, before you find that freezer-safe container to store your soup in, there are a few pieces of guidance you need to know before placing your leftovers in cold storage for a future meal.
The Smarter Homemaker blog notes that the biggest problem with freezing New England clam chowder is the cream or milk can curdle — and seemingly no one wants that. The blog goes on to describe how cream or milk and butter tend to separate when they are frozen, causing the chowder to lose flavor and texture. However, the writer also concedes that theres not really a way to avoid this hazard.
Per DIYS.com, its best to freeze your clam chowder the same day you make it, or the following day at the latest. Freezing your chowder when its freshest is key because some of the ingredients in this dish are not necessarily “optimal” for freezing. And if youre making New England clam chowder, these ingredients include cream or milk.
Additionally, The Fork Bite points out that potato in frozen clam chowder “ends up like cubes of mash and is quite unpleasant to eat.” The Smarter Homemaker concurs, explaining that when you cook potatoes or carrots in a soup and freeze it, these water-dense vegetables “will become mushy” when you thaw the chowder. The ways to avoid this problem completely are omitting these vegetables, according to The Fork Bite, or to not add them to the original chowder. Instead, its best to wait until thawing before incorporating them as you go. If you do freeze your clam chowder, it can last four to six months.
@henrybottjer asked: “What is the best way to store and freeze soup for later use?”
FAQ
Can you freeze homemade chowder?
Can creamy clam chowder be frozen?
Can you freeze soup with milk in it?