Rating: 4 stars
06/23/2014
Delicious. The only change I'd make is to coarsely chop the shrimp to make it more spoon-friendly. We usually only have the large on hand. I would totally serve this to guests. And to make it even more elegant, a bit of cracked crab meat would be an excellent addition.
Rating: 4 stars
02/03/2014
Made this tonight for dinner and it was really yummy. With the bacon, shrimp and corn, it's actually a pretty hearty soup. I agree with other reviewer that it might not be the best looking soup but it sure is delish. Eliminated the cream and it was still tasty. Definitely add more broth.
Rating: 5 stars
01/18/2014
Delicious. Freezes well.
Rating: 4 stars
01/12/2014
Very good! Next time I will add a pepper for a little extra kick, but otherwise very good.
Rating: 5 stars
11/23/2013
I added a roasted poblano, chopped for some sip. May add 2 next time, chop shrimp into large chunks. Good and tasty. Will make again.
Rating: 5 stars
11/20/2013
So yum!
Rating: 5 stars
11/12/2013
Easy and delicious! Love the creamy texture with just a small amount of half and half. I didn't add the shrimp (didn't have any on hand)or the fresh thyme (forgot it), but it was still great!
Rating: 4 stars
10/27/2013
Delicious! I substituted high-quality powered garlic and thyme (Williams Sonoma brand) because I didn't have fresh; other than that, I made it as directed, and it was great. I would definitely be pleased to serve this to a friend. Fresh biscuits/bread would make it perfect as a cozy meal in cold weather. It's tasty and filling!
Rating: 4 stars
03/21/2013
I tried the recipe tonight and actually loved it. I didn't use the drippings from the bacon to saute my veggies instead i used olive oil to have a healthier substitute. I also used freshly chopped celery and onions. I bought precooked bacon and used 1 slice per full serving. Little peppery for my taste but that is definitely adjustable. Nice change to the everyday menu.
Rating: 5 stars
03/10/2013
This was sooooo good! My husband just made it. The only thing we added was some old bay seasoning and some Tony's (Cajun Seasoning). We also garnished with shredded Colby jack cheese. It's awesome. Will definitely be making this again!
Rating: 4 stars
02/26/2013
Read a few reviews on this before making. After the bacon was cooked (which I chopped up), I removed all pieces. I removed all but 2 tbsp of the bacon grease, since it was A LOT. I returned about two thirds of the bacon to the soup when I added the corn. I also used thick bacon, which added a bit more to the soup. Some reviews mentioned adding red pepper, but I had some hot sauce handy, so I added that. It tasted great. My wife chose not to add the hot sauce and still enjoyed it. We each had a decent size bowl and were both pretty full. Also, I didn't think it looked like unpleasant. When I saw the end result, the only thing it looked like to me was chowder.
Rating: 5 stars
01/17/2013
The ultimate winter comfort food! I don't get the complaints about its visual appeal; I thought it looked just fine. Ridiculously easy, and I even did all my own onion and celery chopping instead of buying pre-chopped as the recipe calls for. Because I had some, I used Kirkland (Costco) real bacon bits instead of frying up slices; I used 2 oz. in the soup (added with the corn) with 1 oz. to sprinkle on top. Sautéed the onion and celery in a little olive oil.
Rating: 4 stars
11/15/2012
This was really tasty. I used one can creamed corn and one can sweet corn, and it turned out great. Also, I drained some of the fat after cooking the bacon, like some of the other reviewers suggested. The appearance of the soup is definitely not appetizing, but my family got over it once they tasted it.
Rating: 5 stars
06/15/2012
My boyfriend and I both love this recipe for any season! I generally make a few modifications to better fit our tastes. First, I add either 1 or 2 peeled, cubed potatoes in with the corn and then add a little extra broth to account for that (somewhere between 1/2 and 1 cup usually), then cook until the potatoes are tender before blending. We generally like our meals a little spicier, so I add a bit more black pepper, a little more thyme, and 1/4-1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes.
Rating: 3 stars
02/21/2012
This was very good soup. My daughter and I both really liked it. I can't rate it "company worthy" though because as another reviewer said, it does look a bit like dish water if made per the directions. Taste was right on. Visual appeal was lacking.
Rating: 3 stars
02/20/2012
We didn't love this, but it was a good, solid recipe. Followed the recipe exactly. If we make it again, we would omit the shrimp. We love shrimp but just didn't care for it in a bacon corn chowder. We would also brown the bacon separately & drain a bit of the grease off. It seems a little odd to have all the grease from 6 pieces of bacon in there with a CL recipe, although you need some for flavor. And maybe we'd add some red chili pepper or something for a little kick. As written, the recipe has 1 error. You're supposed to chop all 6 pieces of bacon, but then remove 2 slices after browning, so either chop only 4 slices or don't bother reserving any to crumble on top.
Rating: 2 stars
02/10/2012
I was disappointed in the outcome of this recipe after smelling all the wonderful ingredients cooking and time spent preparing it. It was extremely watery. Personally I like a thick creamy chowder. I didn't mind the chunks of corn, celery & bacon, I just wished the base was heartier. I think next time I will make a roux out of cold cream & flour before adding it at the end. A few red skinned potato cubes with skins on might be a nice addition and help thicken it up a little. My second complaint was that it was bland. Maybe more salt? I expected a bolder flavor. Worth trying again to get it right. Soups are a perfect meal on an overcast day, especially paired with a crusty bread loaf straight from the oven.
Rating: 2 stars
01/02/2012
I agree with GMaurantonio on the serving size. I didn't measure the serving size, but I found it made two reasonable portions, not four. I also agree with cconnito about the cooking time for the bacon needing to be longer. Also, did anyone else notice that it doesn't really say what to do with the four remaining slices that you leave in the pot? Are they supposed to go in the blender? Are you supposed to crumble them? Anyway, I just took out all six slices, crumbled them, and tossed in at the end. Overall, I think the recipe was tasty, so no issue there.
Rating: 3 stars
11/01/2011
we plan on remaking this with plenty of changes. The bacon needs to cook much longer, and then be removed from the pan; it cannot brown with all the other ingredients in there, and winds up being chewy and undercooked. We added crushed red pepper AND a jalapeno, which was a good choice. We also used more bacon than what was called for, and will not make that mistake again: the soup was almost unbearably rich. Also, my boyfriend has an uncanny love for mushrooms, so we added those, and it was a nice change of texture as well
Rating: 4 stars
10/10/2011
I made this last night. It was so good! I reduced the corn the 2 cups and added a little shredded cheese and pepper. I'm putting this in my "keep" binder.
Rating: 3 stars
10/09/2011
Would definitely add some heat to this recipe with jalapeno or similar hot pepper. I would also cut back on the bacon some and add additional chicken broth just as some others have suggested. I found this recipe did not make the 4 servings of 1 2/3 cup per person the recipe states. My husband and I both had 1 1/2 cups and there was barely another serving left. Also, when I entered the calories into the website I use, I came up with 438 calories; considerably more than the magazine states at 294.
Rating: 4 stars
10/01/2011
This is the first time for this recipe, made it in about 40 minutes, nice taste, a little bland, still on the stove but tasting as I go, reading other reviews, you may have to kick it up a notch with a little heat. Glad I made it on a cool night and will definitely make this again, but will spice it up to may liking and not my wife's and don't forget the Sam Adams to top this meal off.
Rating: 5 stars
09/30/2011
This was excellent!! I used Turkey bacon and fat free half & half. I also added 1/4 c more chicken broth, a little more salt because I don't think that turkey bacon is as salty as regular bacon,(a couple dashes of seasonello), and some cayenne pepper to give it some heat. Don't overcook the shrimp! Mine were done in 1-2 min. I may consider cutting them into more edible size pieces next time.
Rating: 4 stars
09/27/2011
This was really good, but after reading reviews I think I'll definitely add some jalapeno and other spices. On it's own, I thought it was delicious, but kicking it up a notch would be awesome. I also used turkey bacon instead of regular.
Rating: 4 stars
09/13/2011
I liked this recipe - hearty and tasty. I think I would reduce the amount of bacon to 4 slices, and I am a bacon lover. Maybe I had really big pieces of bacon or something but it seemed like too much.
Rating: 2 stars
09/12/2011
My family found this recipe to be very bland. After following the recipe as given and tasting the end result I added a little curry powder like another reviewer suggested. This gave enhanced the flavor, but overall it was still fairly boring and visually unappealing. Though I think I could tinker with it a bit more to make it more to our liking, I'm just going to move along to a different recipe.
Rating: 4 stars
08/29/2011
Excellent flavors, easy to prepare. I served with spinach salad and garlic bread. Followed the recipe verbatim except didn't reserve any of the bacon to crumble on top - just kept it in with everything else.
Rating: 5 stars
08/22/2011
Fantastic! Used fresh corn from a neighborhood farm. I followed the recipe as written except I used 1/2 tsp of dried thyme. I am saving this recipe and will definatlely make it again.
Rating: 4 stars
08/21/2011
good base recipe. i added jalapeno peppers when i sauteed the onion/celery. I added pimentos at the end. A little curry and cilantro. Delicious
Rating: 5 stars
08/17/2011
This recipe was easy and tasty. I treated as though it was a basic recipe, adding a half of chopped sweet red pepper and diced potatoes. Because my family likes spicy meals, I added some red pepper flakes.. I made cheesy baking powder biscuits to go with the meal. I will definitely do this again.
Rating: 5 stars
08/17/2011
Tried this recipe last night and it was delicious-my husband gave it 2 big thumbs up, as well. But I did make some changes based on other reviews; added 1/2 t. cayenne and 1/2 of a red pepper that I diced and added at the end to keep it slightly crunchy. Also added about 1/4 t. of turmeric to improve the color. Next time, I'll double the batch so we have more leftovers.
Rating: 5 stars
08/16/2011
My husband and I loved the soup, I not sure about the super fast part as I chopped the onion and celery and minced my own garlic.
Rating: 4 stars
08/10/2011
Question to those who have made this recipe. Did you pre-chop all 6 slices of bacon?? If so, how is it possible to "remove 2 slices of bacon" after sauteing until brown, as the recipe suggests??
Rating: 5 stars
08/10/2011
I made it exactly as the directions state. It would save time if you pre-chopped your onion, celery, garlic, and prepped the fresh thyme, and precooked the bacon. It does make just enough for 4, so if you want more than that double the recipe. It was delish! Such good flavors all together.
Rating: 4 stars
08/09/2011
Excellent recipe! There are so many things that are good about it. First the recipe as is is wonderful but also without the half and half it is great! This means I can probably freeze some and have summer in winter. I read some of the other reviewers additions and they look great. The only step I skipped was I had bacon already made from the weekend. I think he bacon drippings would have added more depth and I look forward to making it that way as well. I might add a little crushed red pepper next time too.
Rating: 4 stars
08/07/2011
Son & I made this together and it turned out very well. It was delicious! Easy recipe to follow too.
Rating: 2 stars
08/04/2011
Not that great...which is surprising for something that has shrimp and bacon. Main complaint: looked bad. I know it's crazy but this soup looked like dirty dishwater. The reason is that you just add cream instead of making a roux or using flour + milk/cream to thicken it up. It's compounded by the fact that you puree some of the broth/corn so there's shards of corn in a dirty dishwater colored broth. Now, take a way the look, it tasted fine, but really visual input is important...especially if it's worthy of a special occasion. My go-to recipe is CL August '06 "potato, corn, leek chowder'. I do add some bacon to this so I"m half way there...heck, I'll just toss in some shrimp and have a 5 star dish instead of this 2 star one.
Rating: 2 stars
08/02/2011
Sorry. We did not like this at all. It was like eating a bowl of corn. The corn drowned out the flavor of everything else. I like corn; there are several corn chowder recipes I really like, but this definitely isn't one of them. Very, very bland. It WAS very simple to make. Since it is only hubby and I, we will have to eat it again tomorrow. We are trying to figure out what to add to it to give it some oomph...maybe curry powder, maybe Sriracha? Will not be making this one again.
Rating: 5 stars
08/01/2011
Excellent. I added a little cayenne pepper on top just to add some spice. But fantastic without it as well. Made just as the recipe said otherwise. You may want to add a little extra chicken broth (1/4c).
Rating: 5 stars
07/31/2011
I absolutely loved this recipe! Easy to make (dare I say fun?), and incredibly delicious. I used frozen, grilled shrimp, which I sauteed in a skillet prior to adding to the chowder. So good!
Rating: 4 stars
07/25/2011
Easy to make and was creamy with out any milk products. I used 5 corn cobs. Did not have time to peel shrimp, so I added crayfish meats, crabmeat would work as well. 1/4 cup of vermouth and a dash of smoked paprika gave it more depth. Will make again.
Rating: 5 stars
07/24/2011
Fixed this tonight and it was wonderful! Will definitely make it again. It did take me longer than 20 minutes tho.
Rating: 4 stars
07/18/2011
I am so glad I read the other reviews because I too added some extra chicken broth, sherry and carrot. I had crusty bread and a green salad with tomato, cuck and mushrooms and a vinegrette dressing....It was yummy. I did cut the recipe in half as there are only 2 of us. I WILL make again.
Rating: 4 stars
07/18/2011
This was really good - but took longer than stated because I had to chop onion, celery, garlic (and I added a carrot) and peel shrimp. I didn't have center cut bacon so I used 3 slices of regular thick cut bacon and removed most of the rendered fat before adding anything else. I used fresh corn cut off the cob, pureed 2 c. of the mixture as stated, nice texture. I did add an extra cup of broth, 2 didn't seem like enough. I also added about 1 1/4 tsp ground red pepper and a splash of dry sherry. Overall very tasty, will definitely make again.
Rating: 4 stars
07/15/2011
Tasy dish!...and easy breezy! I threw in some frozen sweet peas because my 2 year-old likes them. I served it with warmed french bread and a side salad.