I have to say I love chowder. There’s just something about that thick, creamy soup with potatoes, corn, and bacon (yes, bacon is a must). And most importantly, the kids love it! They would eat chowder almost every day if we let them.

Even better, chowder’s very forgiving. You can add a lot of things to it or make it really simple, and it still tastes amazing. You can even make it healthier, and the kids will still love it, providing, of course, you do so with moderation.

The recipe I’m sharing is one of the first ‘recipes’ I created from scratch – scratch just being my experience as a line chef and taste for flavors. Our family loves it, and I’m sure yours will too. As always, the recipe I’m sharing uses goat milk and other cow dairy substitutes, since we have a lot of people allergic to cow dairy in our family, but feel free to throw cow milk in yours if that’s your vibe. Personally, though, I think goat milk actually adds to the already great flavor of the chowder.

So here’s the recipe for a large family like ours. This will feed feed 6 average eaters for 2 meals, so you may want to halve the recipe if you eat less or have a smaller group:

1 lb uncured bacon, finely chopped*
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour (we use spelt flour, but all-purpose flour will work just as well)
8-10 medium potatoes of your choice. Russet is always cheapest, but red or gold potatoes are always amazing in this recipe!
1 quart goat milk
2 cups chicken or beef broth
16 oz frozen corn
1 chili pepper, dried or fresh (or use 1/2 TSP cayenne pepper)**
1 – 2 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic
6 leaves freshly picked sage (can use 1/2 TBSP of rubbed sage instead)
4-5 sprigs freshly plucked parsley (or 1 Tsp Parsley flakes)
5-6 rosemary leaves (or 1 Tsp Rosemary)
1 cup water (may be omitted if no fresh herbs are used)
1 Tsp salt
2 Tsp black pepper
1 Tsp Paprika

Notes: Several people in our family are sensitive to cow dairy, which is why I use goat milk. You can just as easily make this recipe using cow milk or heavy cream instead of goat milk.
To make a thicker chowder, increase the amount of flour and butter used in the roux.

Optional ingredients (I add these to ours, and the family loves them)

4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 filets cod (other fish will also work), or 2 cans clams***
4 oz frozen broccoli
6-7 fresh chives, finely chopped (may be added directly to soup or sprinkled on top to finish)

Step 1: in a large stock pot, cook the chopped bacon over medium heat until fully cooked. When the bacon looks nearly cooked, add the diced onion and saute in bacon fat for 2-3 minutes
Step 2: While the bacon is cooking, peel and chop the potatoes. I like to cut mine pretty small, but larger chunks make the process faster. If adding carrots, prep these as well. Set aside in a large bowl.
Step 3: Add potatoes and carrots(if including)
Step 4 (optional): Chop fish filets into small pieces and add to pot, or add canned clams to pot
Step 5: Add corn, and broccoli if including
Step 6: In a blender or food processor, or in a bowl using an immersion blender, garlic, fresh sage (if using), fresh rosemary (if using), fresh parsley (if using), chili pepper (if using), and water (if using) and blend until thoroughly combined. Add mixture to pot.
Step 7: In a smaller pot, melt butter,
Step 8: Add flour to melted butter and stir till roux is golden
Step 9: Add goat milk to roux and stir till roux is incorporated and mixture is thickened
Step 10 (while roux is cooking): (optional): If you prefer not to blend garlic, mince or press garlic and add to the pot.
Step 11 (while roux is cooking): Add chives (optional), salt, pepper, and paprika. If using dry herbs instead of fresh, add other herbs at this time.
Step 12: add thickened milk/roux to the large pot and cook and stir until soup thickens considerably.

Remember to continue stirring the pot regularly as the soup cooks. This will allow the broth to thicken and give it that good, creamy texture.

*Salt pork may be used instead of bacon, if you prefer
**I personally like 3-4 chili peppers, but the kids won’t eat it if it’s even moderately spicy. Feel free to adjust the chili or cayenne to suit your taste
***If using clams, I would suggest omitting corn, broccoli, carrots, and paprika and increasing salt and pepper

Serve with biscuits or crackers.