| Fast Prep

creamy corn soup with crispy bacon

prep: 25 minutes | cook: 45 minutes | cool: 10 minutes | MAKES: 4 servings (1¼ cups each)

• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 cup chopped onion
• ½ tsp. salt
• 4 cups frozen whole kernel corn
• ½ cup thinly sliced carrot
• ½ cup thinly sliced celery
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups milk
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme or ½ tsp. dried thyme, crushed
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 slices bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
• Cracked black pepper

1. In a 4-qt. pot melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and salt; cook and stir 5 minutes or until onion is tender.

2. Add corn, carrot, celery, and garlic; cook about 10 minutes or until vegetables are soft, stirring frequently. If desired, set aside about ½ cup of the cooked vegetables to use as a garnish.

3. Add broth, milk, thyme, and bay leaves to vegetable mixture in pot. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Remove soup from heat; cool 10 minutes. Remove and discard thyme sprigs (if present) and bay leaves. Using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth. (Or transfer part of the soup to a blender; cover and blend until smooth. Repeat with the remaining soup, blending in batches. Return all of the soup to the pot.) Heat through. Top servings with reserved vegetables (if using) and crumbled bacon; sprinkle with cracked pepper.

PER SERVING: 233 cal., 10 g fat (6 g sat. fat), 28 mg chol., 781 mg sodium, 29 g carb., 3 g fiber, 15 g sugars, 11 g pro.