Vegetarian Potato Chowder Recipe

It has been really cold lately. Ok, fine, that shouldn't be surprising, as it is winter. But even so, our winters here usually are mild, many days where there is good weather, other days crisp and dry but not too cold, the occasional rainy and cold days, and the very rare snow days. We've been having a lot of those miserably cold rainy days where all you want is something warm to lift the chill. 

The other day was one of those yucky weather days, pouring rain and freezing, and I was hungry but didn't know what to eat. My upstairs neighbor told me she'd prepared some creamy potato soup and it sounded so good for the weather. But that would mean needing to go outside in the pouring rain to get something that would feel nice in the terrible weather, which would negate the whole point of my wanting something warm and soothing. So instead, taking that inspiration, I decided to make my own creamy potato soup. Or rather, vegetarian potato chowder. It totally hit the spot- the soup was absolutely delicious, perfect for the weather, and pretty easy too. Naturally gluten free as well as frugal, I also used home grown wild greens in my soup, but of course, store bought works fine too.

Vegetarian Potato Chowder Recipe

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter (approximately)
2 onions
4 cloves garlic
4 carrots
8 potatoes
4 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt or to taste

1 teaspoon nutmeg

2 cups chopped greens (spinach, kale, swiss chard, etc...)
1 cup heavy /250 ml cream
10 slices yellow cheese, mozzarella, muenster, etc...

Instructions

1. Chop up your onions and garlic and saute in butter until starting to get golden.

2. Peel and chop your carrots and potatoes into small chunks, add to the pot, and add the water, salt, and nutmeg.

3. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered for 10 minutes or until the potatoes and carrots are fully soft.

4. Chop your greens and add to the pot, simmering a few minutes more until wilted.

5. Add the cream and bring to a simmer.

6. Mix in your cheese until it is all melted.

7. Serve right away. Adding croutons would make it even better.

Enjoy!

Have you ever made potato chowder? What do you put in yours? Does this look like a recipe you'd try? What is your favorite cold weather soup?