Bacon-Corn Chowder with Shrimp

I thought it might need something more, so I added chicken.  It didn't.  It's a nice soup and has a unique step - you puree part of the soup and then add it back to the rest.  The puree was too dense after that, so I had to add more chicken broth.

4 servings

10 calculated points

Chardonnay

Ingredients

• 6 slices center-cut bacon chopped
• 1 cup prechopped onion
• 1 ⁄2 cup prechopped celery
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 4 cups frozen corn kernels or fresh, thawed
• 2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 3 ⁄4 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
• 1 ⁄3 cup half-and-half
• 1 ⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 ⁄8 teaspoon salt

Directions

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add bacon to pan; saute 4 minutes or until the bacon begins to brown. Remove 2 slices bacon. Drain on paper towels. Add onion and next 3 ingredients (through minced garlic) to pan, and saute for 2 minutes. Add corn, and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broth; bring to a boil, and cook for 4 minutes. Place 2 cups of corn mixture in a blender. Remove the center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape), and secure lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in the blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Return pureed corn mixture to pan. Stir in shrimp; cook 2 minutes or until shrimp are done. Stir in half-and-half, pepper, and salt. Crumble reserved bacon over soup.