If you’re thinking of starting or expanding a garden, one of these easiest and nicest things to grow is zucchini. They produce a lot in a short amount of time and are great tasting vegetables that can be used in many different foods. Like last year, I planted too many in my garden this year! After giving many away, they are still coming and so I’ve been creating new recipes by which to use them. Be sure to check out my “zucchini” category on my blog for other recipes.

Today’s dish is zucchini and sausage chowder. I like making soups and stews as you have everything in one pot, including protein and vegetables. To complete the meal you add a green salad and your favorite crusty bread. This soup is creamy, hearty, and delicious.

My husband and son aren’t big fans of zucchini by itself, but really like it when combined with the sausage and cheese in this recipe. These ingredients work together beautifully. It has a perfect amount of spices, cheese, cream, and vegetables to make it extra creamy.

I wouldn’t call this recipe super-healthy, necessarily, but it’s hearty and another way to use fresh zucchini from your garden or from a store.

Ingredients

Chowder

• 1 lbs. Italian style sausage, casting removed, then broken into pieces
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cup yellow onion, med. diced
• 1 1/2 tbsp. mince garlic
• 1 cup celery, large diced
• 4 cups green zucchini, large diced
• 3 cups Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and large diced
• 1 tsp. ground mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. or more to taste
• 2 tbsp. chicken base
• 2 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups shredded Mexican style cheese

To serve

• Crusty bread
• Green salad

Instructions

Brown sausage in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Once cooked, remove the sausage from the pot with a slotted spoon, leaving most of the fat behind. Turn the heat down to medium. Add butter, onion, garlic, and celery to the pot. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until onions are tender.

Next add potatoes, zucchini, mustard, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and chicken base. Give it a good mix, then cover and cook for 10 minutes, checking and stirring in between.

Add milk, water, sausage (leave about one 3rd behind for garnish), and cream to the pot. Stir well, then cover and cook for another 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Turn off the stove, then stir in the cheese.

Use a handheld mixture and pulse a few time to give the soup a creamy texture while leaving most of the veggies chunky. Taste for seasoning. Heat up the soup again if the soup has cooled down.

Transfer the soup into individual serving bowls and top with some of the reserved sausage. You can also sprinkle some thinly sliced chives over the sausage. To make it a complete meal, serve with a side salad and some crusty bread!

Serves 6

Did you make this dish? I’d love to know how it turns out! Feel free to like this post and comment or use the hashtag #globaldinein on Instagram. If you would like to be notified of upcoming posts, please consider subscribing to my blog!