This one-pot Creamy Potato Chowder with Shrimp and Bacon is the ultimate comfort food on a chilly evening! Paleo-friendly, loaded with veggies, and dairy-free (if you use the cashew cream option) for a completely guilt-free chowder option!

Creamy Potato Chowder with Shrimp and Bacon

Here in New England, Chowder’s are our go-to bowl of comfort during chilly Summer and early Fall evenings! I wanted to create a chowder that was rich, creamy, guilt-free and great for any time of year, and am so excited to share this soup with you! If you love bacon as much as I do, this soup is a must-make! Creamy potatoes, perfectly cooked shrimp, and bits of bacon in every bite… soup perfection.

Potato Chowder Ingredients

• Potatoes
• Bacon
• Shrimp
• Onion
• Garlic
• Celery
• Carrots
• Paprika
• Thyme
• Chicken stock
• Corn
• Heavy cream or Cashew cream 
• Fresh Herbs

How to Make Potato Chowder

I wanted to make this soup as easy as possible, to make this a perfect weeknight dinner option on this chilly fall days when you need to be warmed up a bit! To make it simple:

1. Cook bacon and then drain the fat, and set aside. Next cook the shrimp, then set that aside, too.
2. Cook the onion, garlic, potato celery and carrots until starting to soften.
3. Next pour in chicken stock and make sure to scrape up all of the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
4. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once at a boil, add corn and turn down heat and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.
5. Whisk in cream of choice and taste and adjust seasoning.
6. Serve in desired serving bowls. Top with roughly chopped shrimp, bacon pieces, parsley, thyme, scallions, and corn if using.

How to Make it Dairy Free

Cashew cream is a great way to make this creamy soup dairy-free. If you haven’t heard of cashew cream before, it is simply soaked cashews that are blended until they are smooth and creamy. It’s a great replacement for heavy cream It can be used for both savory or sweet recipes but also it’s just kind of delicious! To check out these easy directions for how to make this, check out this post.

If you like this soup recipe, check out these others:

• Split Pea and Ham Soup
• Turkey Wild Rice Soup
• Hot and Sour Soup (Vegetarian)
• Easy Black Bean Soup
• Gluten-Free Minestrone Soup
• Healthy Broccoli Soup

Creamy Potato Chowder with Shrimp and BaconIngredient:

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Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 25 minutes Total Time 0:35 Serves 6

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Ingredients

• 1 package nitrate-free bacon
• 1 pound deveined shrimp
• 1 onion, minced
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 yukon potatoes, diced
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 2 carrots, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 cup good quality cream or 1/4 cup cashew cream *see notes for cashew cream recipe
• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn (non-GMO/local if possible), thawed and cooked
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, for garnish
• 1 sprig fresh thyme, for garnish
• 1 tablespoon scallions, for garnish

Directions

1. Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until crispy, around 5-8 minutes. Turn off heat and place bacon on a plate lined with paper towels.
2. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat out of the pan. Turn heat to medium-high and cook shrimp for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until pink and fully cooked through. Transfer shrimp to a plate lined with paper towels.
3. Drain all of the cooking liquid out of the pan.
4. Place garlic and onion into the dutch oven. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until onions start to turn translucent. Add potato, celery, and carrots to the pot. Cook until potato starts to soften.
5. Add in spices. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant.
6. Pour in chicken stock and stir well, making sure to scrape up all of the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
7. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once at a boil, turn down heat and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.
8. Whisk in cream of choice. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
9. Serve in desired serving bowls. Top with roughly chopped shrimp, bacon pieces, parsley, thyme, scallions, and corn if using.
10. Serve warm!

Recipe Notes

*Cashew Cream: Soak 1/2 cup cashews in 2 cups of water for 4-6 hours or overnight. Drain soaked cashews and rinse well. Place in a high-speed blender with 1/2 cup water. Blend until creamy and thick. Add 1/4 teaspoon sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

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