Given this week’s recipe – Cheddar Potato Chowder with Turkey Bacon – let’s talk about turkey bacon, shall we?

I’ve found that folks, generally, land in one of three camps when it comes to turkey bacon:

1) The “Love-Turkey-Bacon Camp” because it’s a healthy switch; this group rarely, if ever, buys pork bacon anymore.

2) The “Completely-Dislike-Turkey-Bacon Camp,” which believes it’s a travesty to even suggest turkey bacon can compete with pork bacon.

3) The “Turkey-Bacon-is-Actually-Okay Camp”; in other words, they still probably use pork bacon more often because turkey bacon will never completely beat “real” bacon.

Cheddar Potato Chowder with Turkey Bacon | via printmyemotions.wordpress.com #SwitchToTurkey #JennieO #TurkeyEveryday

These camps don’t include people like my friend, Jenn, who actually doesn’t like bacon at all. Whaaaat? (It’s okay, Jenn – we’ll always be friends, I promise.)

But I digress.

If I am completely honest, I tended toward #3 for a long time. In the past couple of years, though, the product has improved dramatically and I have bought more turkey bacon. I have also been impressed, especially, with how the JENNIE-O® turkey bacon fries up and tastes. (Don’t worry pork bacon lovers – I still buy quite a bit of pork bacon because we love that too.)

I can tell you that if you haven’t given turkey bacon a chance in a while (or maybe ever?), I’d suggest you take a look if you’re interested in switching things up. And the Cheddar Potato Chowder with Turkey Bacon recipe I am sharing below is a great way to try it out.

I know, I know … it’s April (well, nearly May) so soup, perhaps, isn’t high on your recipe list right now. You’ll have to forgive me, but I live in Minnesota. MINNESOTA. As in – it can easily be 35 degrees in April and rather than freeze for the umpteenth month in a row, I’m going to continue to make soup.

Hopefully in July, this won’t have to happen.

Cheddar Potato Chowder with Turkey Bacon | via printmyemotions.wordpress.com #SwitchToTurkey #JennieO #TurkeyEveryday

By the way, Jennie-O has a variety of recipes (for turkey bacon and many other turkey products on here or check out Jennie-O on Pinterest and Instagram as well.

I adapted this soup recipe from the  Cheesy Pepper Jack Potato Chowder recipe from Iowa Girl Eats. (I’ve made that specific recipe, too, and it’s fantastic. I just happened to be out of pepper jack cheese at home so I went with straight-up cheddar instead.)

– Lara –

Cheddar Potato Chowder with Turkey Bacon

  • 8 strips JENNIE-O® turkey bacon (1/2 lb), chopped
  • 1-2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 rib celery, chopped
  • 1 large shallot or 1/2 small onion, chopped
  • pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes (or more or less)
  • 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups chicken broth, divided
  • 2 cups skim milk
  • 4 cups diced Yukon Gold potatoes (skin removed) – or use frozen Southern-Style frozen hash browns
  • 8oz freshly shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  1. In a small bowl whisk together 2 Tablespoons flour with 1/4 cup chicken broth then set aside.
  2. Heat a large soup pot over medium heat then add chopped turkey bacon and cook until crisp. Remove bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
  3. Melt 1-2 tablespoons of butter to the same pot and then add celery and shallots, season with pepper, and saute until tender, 4-5 minutes. Add minced garlic and red chili pepper flakes then saute for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
  4. Add remaining 1-3/4 cups chicken broth, milk, diced potatoes (or frozen hash browns), and lots of freshly cracked pepper to the pot then turn heat up to high and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Slowly drizzle in flour/chicken broth mixture then stir to combine. Turn heat down to medium-low and simmer until chowder has thickened and potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
  5. Remove pot from heat then add shredded cheese about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until completely smooth before adding the next batch. Stir in the cooked turkey bacon then serve with chopped green onions.

Note: I am part of Jennie-O’s Switch Circle of bloggers, but I do not get paid for my posts. I do receive some complimentary turkey products to try upon occasion. Opinions and topics are entirely my own.

 

0 comments on Turkey Tuesday: Cheddar Potato Chowder with Turkey Bacon

  1. This looks delish and I promise we can still be friends but I will forever and always be a pork bacon only gal. Probably has something to do with being a hog farmer! But you have encouraged me to be more open to those who prefer turkey bacon… although it still bothers me to imagine where the bacon comes from on a turkey since bacon is a cut of meat off the belly! Lol!

    • LOL – no worries, I completely understand! To be honest, I still almost always have pork bacon in my fridge as well – we love it. 🙂 But I do know some people, for varying reasons, who really do like turkey bacon so I want to do my due diligence and make sure they get some good recipes as well. (And if you noticed, the original version of this recipe calls for pork bacon – I’ve made that and it’s totally yummy as well!)

      – Lara 🙂

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