Small Recipes...Sausage Chowder for 2

My husband wants this recipe again…soon!  He says “It’s a keeper for sure”.  I liked it because of the taste and because I always keep the ingredients on hand for other cooking so I can make it at the last minute, and it’s ready in less than a half hour.  I cut it down from 8 to 2 servings.

To make it simpler on a busy weekday, I used frozen Southern-style hash browns; potato cubes that are non-GMO, gluten-free, with no added salt, fat or sugar from Mr. Dell brand.  I keep them in my freezer all the time. I can make a number of different recipes with no potato waste or spoilage.  I also used my own frozen onions and corn, so the only prep work I had was slicing some carrots.  It’s also a good way to use up some fresh potatoes.

The original recipe calls for evaporated milk; I used whole milk with a little ultragel or cornstarch as I didn’t want to find a use for the remaining evaporated milk from the can.

I used pork sausage I had pattied up in 1 ounce patties so I cooked them from frozen and broke them up a little, add the frozen potatoes and onion and the fresh diced carrots and simmered them in the water.  After 15 minutes I added the frozen corn and thickened milk, and then the cheese and cooked another 5 minutes or so until nice and creamy.

    Sausage Chowder for 2  (Gluten free)

  4           ounces  pork sausage

     1/4    medium  onion -- thinly sliced or diced

  1           cup  diced potatoes

     1/2    cup  diced carrots

     3/4    cup  water

     1/2    tablespoon  minced fresh parsley or dried parsley

     1/4    tablespoon  minced basil

     1/4    teaspoon  salt

    1/16   teaspoon  pepper

     1/2    cup  corn

  3           ounces  whole milk

  2           tablespoons  UltraGel or cornstarch -- blend into milk

  2           ounces  American or Velveeta cheese

In a soup kettle or Dutch oven over medium heat, brown the sausage and onion. Slowly add the potatoes, carrots, water, parsley, basil, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add remaining ingredients, cook 5 to 10 minutes longer or until heated through.

The cookbook is published by the "Iowa Food & Family Project" and you can download it in PDF form here:  Iowa Food and Family Cookbook