Description
This Cajun Corn Chowder recipe is lightened-up with healthier ingredients (also vegan and gluten-free), full of protein-packed lentils, and seasoned with the best zesty Cajun flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium white onion, peeled and diced
- 1 green bell pepper, cored and diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- 1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 (14-ounce) bag frozen corn (or you could also use canned whole-kernel corn)
- 1 cup red lentils*, rinsed and picked over
- 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning (or more/less to taste)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
- optional toppings: chopped green onions or chives, bacon, or oyster crackers, etc.
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add bell pepper, celery and garlic, and continue sautéing for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add vegetable stock, potatoes, corn, lentils Cajun seasoning, thyme and salt. Stir to combine.
- Continue cooking until the mixture reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 10-15 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes and lentils are tender.
- Stir in the coconut milk until combined. Taste and season with additional salt and/or Cajun seasoning if needed.
- Serve warm, garnished with your desired toppings. Or refrigerate soup in sealed containers for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
*Whole red lentils take about 15 minutes to cook. But if you are using split red lentils, they only take about 7-8 minutes to cook, so I would recommend adding them in halfway through the potatoes’ cooking time.
I also like to use a lot of Cajun seasoning in this soup. But if you don’t like much heat in your food, I would begin with 1 tablespoon of Cajun seasoning, and then you can add more as you would like, to taste.