Corned Beef and Cabbage Chowder is everything you love about a boiled dinner but in soup form and a great way to use leftover corned beef! Tender pieces of corned beef, russet potatoes, cabbage with carrots, celery and onions in flavorful creamy soup spiked with Irish stout. Top with snipped chives and toasty rye croutons. Serves 6 to 8.
Have leftover corned beef? turn it into a delicious chowder!
You may have noticed that I love taking leftovers and turning them into entirely different meals. Especially when those meals are soups. And corned beef leftover from St. Patrick’s Day dinner (if you’re lucky to have some!) is perfect in chowder.
In Michigan it’s still very much soup season and it most likely will still be soup season well into May. Probably June too.
So for now, enjoy this comforting chowder that’s not only easy but also incredibly delicious.
To Make This Corned Beef and Cabbage Chowder You Will Need:
- olive oil – Lends fat for sautéing and flavors the soup.
- yellow onion – Adds a sweet and subtle onion flavor to the soup.
- celery – Lends earthy flavor and delicious texture.
- carrot – Adds a delicate sweetness to the soup.
- kosher salt – Helps soften the vegetables and enhances the flavors of this soup.
- garlic – Adds distinct punchy flavor.
- russet potatoes – Lends texture and earthy flavor to the soup.
- bay leaf – Adds a somewhat subtle minty or pine-y flavor with hints of black pepper.
- low-sodium chicken broth – Homemade or store-bought.
- cabbage – Lends mild sweet flavor when cooked.
- heavy cream – Adds flavor and creaminess.
- Irish stout (Guinness) – Lends a subtle hint of bitter malty flavor.
- leftover corned beef – Cut into bite size pieces.
- unbleached all-purpose flour – Used to help thicken the chowder.
- freshly ground black pepper – Adds some subtle bite and flavor.
- chives (fresh) – Used as garnish for serving. (optional)
- rye croutons – These are optional (but delicious!). Instructions are in the printable recipe at the bottom of the post.
Saute Vegetables:
To start, in a dutch oven add 1 tablespoon oil, 1 medium diced onion (about 1-1/2 cups), 3/4 cup both sliced carrots and celery with a pinch of kosher salt. Stir and cook over medium to medium-low until just about tender. About 8 minutes.
Then add in 1 minced clove of garlic, stir and cook 1 minute.
Cook Potatoes and Cabbage:
Next add 2 pound dice potatoes (about 1 to 1-1/2 inch dice), 1 bay leaf, 4 cups (1 quart) low-sodium chicken broth and 2 cups water.
Cover and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce to medium-low and quickly stir in the cabbage. With the lid askew, simmer 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender and cabbage is soft.
Like so.
Make sure you remove the bay leaf !
Lightly puree the soup. I like to use an immersion blender (stick blender) to do this. You don’t want to go bonkers here because you still want larger pieces, this is chowder after all. I do this so I can add less cream to the recipe.
Pour in 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/2 cup Irish stout (aka Guinness).
WHAT CAN BE SUBSTITUTED FOR GUINNESS?
If avoiding alcohol you can either use non-alcoholic Guinness or substitute the beer entirely with more broth.
Add in 2 cups chopped leftover cooked corned beef.
To thicken the soup a tad, add 1 tablespoon flour to a bowl and stir in 3 tablespoons hot soup liquids. It should form a paste. Stir this paste into the soup and allow the soup to simmer on low for 15 minutes or until it has thickened a bit. It shouldn’t be as creamy as a cream based soup, but not thin like a broth based soup either.
This chowder falls somewhere in between the two.
Taste and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
If only my mouth was wide enough.
Ladle the soup into bowls.
I top our chowder with freshly ground black pepper, snipped chives and toasty rye bread croutons. I love the caraway in the rye in combination with the soup. It’s delicious. Not to worry, I’ve left the instructions for the croutons in the recipe printable.
I hope you love this hearty, soul-warming chowder as much as we do!
How To Store Corned Beef Chowder?
Once cool, store in an air-tight container and refrigerate or freeze.
How Long With Corned Beef Chowder Last?
If stored properly, it should last 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Enjoy! And if you give this Corned Beef and Chowder recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
