I’ve really been enjoying spending time in my garden this summer! It’s been fun to learn and plan for next year, as this is the first year we’ve had a large amount of space to plant and grow a big variety of vegetables! I am hoping to expand a little more every year and eventually have a little road side garden stand too! This year our biggest yields have been zucchini, tomatoes, and sweet corn.
I love being able to head outside to pick what I need for dinner, salads, and side dishes. I am excited to share a couple of my favorite recipes with you! The first is one is a great recipe for any occasion. It has seen different variations in our house over the summer as different things grow and I’m able to add them in. So here it is, Zucchini Corn Chowder: the perfect lunch, or dinner, and even better as leftovers!
Zucchini Corn Chowder Ingredients:
2 zucchini, chopped
1 onion, chopped finely
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
¾ tsp salt
3 cups chicken broth
1 jar chunky tomato sauce
1 can evaporated milk
2 potatoes, chopped small
3-4 ears of corn, cooked (or one can of corn)
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 ½ cups shredded cheddar
In a large pot, saute the zucchini and onion in butter. Cook until zucchini is tender. Add flour and salt. Stir. Slowly pour in chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Cook for about 2 minutes until sauce begins to thicken. Add potatoes, corn, and tomato sauce. Bring to boil. Simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add cheese, and serve. This soup is delicious and can be altered to your taste! Add any veggies that you love, or even sausage to make it your own.
One of my other go to favorites with peppers from the garden is Crockpot Sausage and Peppers. With only a few ingredients, and a few minutes of preparation, it makes a great meal served on rolls or pasta. 
Sausage and Peppers
Ingredients:
2 lbs Italian sausage links
3 large bell peppers, sliced
1 large jar of pasta sauce
Place all ingredients in crock pot, and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Serve on rolls with mozzarella, or on top of your favorite pasta!
So simple, and so yummy! I look forward to planning our garden for next year! I’ve learned a lot about what to plant more of, what to plant less of, what we don’t really use, and what I’d love to include next year! If you have any gardening advice for this beginning gardener, please feel free to share!
I love corn chowders! I haven’t tried zucchini in soups before.
The Sausage and Peppers recipe looked so good, I copied it down. I am going to make it this coming weekend. I thank you so much for the share.
These recipes look delicious! I am always looking to add fresh recipes to my arsenal. Pinning!
This recipe looked so good, I copied it down. I am going to make it this coming weekend. I thank you so much for the share.
You are very welcome – thanks for stopping by!!
That corn chowder recipe sounds delicious! We eat soup 2 or more days a week year-round. I will have to add this to our soup recipes!
The zucchini corn chowder sounds delicious, I have some zucchini from my neighbor and there is corn at our local farmers market, I think I am going to make this for dinner this week.
I love using fresh vegetables from the garden to use in my meal planning. Thanks for the recipes.
Love the fresh ingredients. Looks like a yummy recipe. Thanks for sharing.
The zucchini corn chowder looks amazing! And that sweet corn <3 I'm going to have to plant a garden next year. Pinning that recipe though!
Recipes sound great and lucky you. Our yard is so small we have no room for a garden and something my kids and I all want to have.
yumm!! I will be trying the Zucchini Corn Chowder recipe. Looks so fresh and yummy. Thank you for sharing.
That sweet corn looks so tasty! I’m hoping one day we can have a garden too, not now though since we live in a condo! 😉
Just reading both recipes made me hungry. Thanks for sharing and indeed YAY for home grown.
Yay for home grown ingredients!! I have been canning tomatoes… I think I’m up to my ears in tomatoes this year!! lol… and I don’t even like them!! But they sure do make good salsa and spaghetti sauce!! 🙂
I never had more fun and “almost” instant gratification than when I had my veggie garden for a few years. Being able to harvest my own food, free of chemicals, and oh so delicious was awesome! Zucchini and Squash were 2 of my favorites. Never have made it like this, but it looks great and I’ll sure give it a try. Best of luck next year!!
This soup sounds wonderful and a great way to use up an abundant crop.
I would love to have both of these at the same meal – oh me, oh my, esp if the veggies came right from the garden!
Looks good like to try this
That looks so good! I love your fresh ingredients!