Sweet Potato and Corn Chowder

I was inspired by a can of Campbell’s Well Yes! Sweet Potato Corn Chowder to find a comparable soup that I can fresh make at home. The answer was this Sweet Potato and Corn Chowder recipe by Pinch and Swirl.

It’s pretty easy to make, with good whole ingredients, like sweet potato, onion, red bell pepper, corn…

…And, did I mention bacon?…

The recipe calls for a regular potato, but I replaced it with one cup of long grain and wild rice. The canned Well Yes! soup includes wild rice, and I wanted to stay as close to their ingredient list as possible.

Plus, I thought the seasoning packet that comes with the wild rice would add more flavor to the soup than a regular potato.

This recipe, with the twist of rice, is a new soup that I will add to my winter-season-cooking. It has a full, natural flavor—and the bacon creates such a nice, smoky taste—that no seasonings or spices were needed. The salt and pepper shakers were left on the counter untouched.

It’s a hearty meal alone. But if you want a little extra somethin’ with your soup like I do, it goes well with crackers and cheese.

A brief moment about the cheese, if I may…

We had Beecher’s Flagship cheese, a cow’s milk cheese perfectly described as robust and nutty.

Hubby and I purchased it at Trader Joe’s. But if you’re in New York, you can have Beecher’s handmade cheese at their location on E. 20th and Broadway.

Beecher’s isn’t just a cheese shop. They have a cafe and a restaurant downstairs called The Cellar. We met some friends there for brunch during a visit to NYC this summer. I ordered the b.e.c. biscuit, which is a biscuit with bacon, scrambled egg, and their Flagship cheese.

Sorry, I don’t have a picture of the biscuit to post. I was probably too busy eating to take one.