As spring whispers in with warmer days, our cravings shift from hearty soups to lighter fare. Creamy, golden, and bursting with sweet corn flavor, this sunshine-colored dish perfectly captures the essence of the season.
The essential ingredients of this creamy corn soup—onion, celery, carrots, and potato—are also key to making any type of creamy vegetable soup. While this recipe uses corn as the prominent flavor, you can easily substitute it with broccoli, carrots, spinach, or any other vegetable. The soup is easy to whip up and customizable and will surely bring joy to your table with fresh tastes.
Fun Facts About Corn
- Corn (or maize) was first cultivated by indigenous peoples 9,000 to 10,000 years ago in the lowland areas of southwestern Mexico.
- A cob of corn always has an even number of rows. On average, an ear of corn contains 16 rows with a total of 800 kernels.
- Corn comes in a rainbow of colors besides yellow: red, blue, green, white, and black.
- Corn is the largest crop grown in the United States. About a third of the crop is used for feeding cattle, hogs, and poultry. Another third is transformed into ethanol for fuel production. The rest of the corn crop is used for human consumption and industrial uses domestically or in exports.
- According to the Guinness World Records, the world record for the longest corn cob was 36.25 inches (92 cm) long from the UK in southern Wales in Rhondda Cynon Taff.
Cream of Corn Soup Recipe
Creamy Corn Soup
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 2 ears of corn or 1 can of corn kernels
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ½ medium onion chopped
- 1 rib of celery chopped
- 1 medium carrot chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 large potato diced
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 to 2 bay leaves
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
Instructions
- Boil the corn for 10 minutes or until the corn is cooked. Use a knife to shave off the corn kernels. Reserve about a cup of the cooked liquid.
- Heat the olive oil and cook the onions, celery, and carrots for 3 to 4 minutes or until the vegetables have softened up but not browned. Add the potatoes and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes or until the garlic is fragrant. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
- Add the broth, liquid from boiling the corn, and bay leaves. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning before adding the cream. Remove the bay leaves and keep the heat on the lowest setting while stirring in the cream.
- Remove from heat and let the pot cool for 5 minutes. When it is cool enough to handle, purée until smooth. Return the pot to the stove and keep warm over low heat. Add the corn kernels. Serve hot, topped with chopped parsley.