Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Chowder
A silky, vegetable-forward chowder combining tender potatoes, artichoke hearts, and fresh spinach in a lightly thickened cream broth. This stovetop classic is comfort food at its simplest—finished in under an hour with minimal effort and maximum flavor.
- Prep
- 12 min
- Cook
- 19 min
- Wait
- 11 min
- Total
- 42 min
- Makes
- 4 servings (about 5 cups)
Steps
Before you start
- Gather all ingredients and prep vegetables (onion, garlic, potato, spinach)—having everything ready makes the cooking process smooth
- If using canned artichoke hearts, drain them thoroughly before adding to the chowder
- Ensure your spinach is washed and roughly chopped; fresh spinach wilts dramatically, so start with more than seems necessary
Prepare the vegetables
- On a cutting board, dice the onion into ½-inch pieces (about 1 cup / 150 g).
- Mince the garlic cloves.
- Dice the potato into small ½-inch cubes (about 1 cup / 150 g).
- If using canned artichoke hearts, drain them well; if using fresh, trim the tough outer leaves and quarter them.
- Roughly chop the fresh spinach and set aside.
- All vegetables should be prepped and ready to cook.
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Ready when: All vegetables are prepped and ready to cook
Tip: Dice the potato small (about ½ inch) so it cooks through quickly and integrates seamlessly into the chowder
Sauté the onion
- In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, melt the unsalted butter (2 tbsp / 28 g).
- Add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes until it softens and becomes translucent at the edges.
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Ready when: Onion is softened and translucent at the edges
Add garlic
- Add the minced garlic to the pot and stir constantly for about 30 seconds until fragrant and light golden.
- Do not walk away—garlic burns quickly.
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Ready when: Garlic is fragrant and light golden
Tip: Watch carefully; burnt garlic tastes bitter and will ruin the chowder
Make a light roux
- Sprinkle the all-purpose flour (1 tbsp / 8 g) over the onion and garlic.
- Stir constantly for about 1 minute to coat the vegetables and cook out the raw flour taste.
- The mixture should look sandy and smell toasted, not raw.
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Ready when: Mixture looks sandy and smells toasted
Tip: Cooking the flour briefly prevents lumps in the finished chowder and creates a silky texture without needing extra cream
Add broth and potatoes
- Slowly pour in the vegetable broth (4 cups / 960 ml) while stirring constantly to incorporate the roux smoothly and prevent lumps.
- Add the diced potatoes, the bay leaf, and the fresh thyme (1 tsp / 2 g, or ½ tsp / 0.5 g dried thyme if substituting).
- Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally.
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Ready when: Broth reaches a gentle simmer with occasional bubbles
Tip: Add the broth gradually at first, stirring well, to prevent lumps from forming
Simmer potatoes until tender
- Reduce heat to medium and maintain a gentle simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potato cubes are tender but still hold their shape.
- A fork should pierce them easily, but they should not fall apart.
- The broth will thicken slightly from the roux.
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Ready when: Potatoes are fork-tender but still intact; broth is slightly thickened
Add artichoke hearts
- Stir in the drained and quartered artichoke hearts (about 1½ cups / 280 g after draining).
- Continue to simmer for about 2 minutes, stirring gently, until the artichokes are warmed through and have begun to absorb the broth flavors.
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Ready when: Artichokes are heated through; broth simmers gently
Wilt the spinach
- Add all of the roughly chopped fresh spinach (5 oz / 140 g) to the pot.
- Stir continuously for about 2 minutes as the spinach wilts down significantly and blends into the chowder.
- The pot may look very full at first, but the spinach will reduce dramatically as it cooks.
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Ready when: All spinach is wilted and dark green; no raw leaves visible
Tip: Do not be alarmed by the volume of spinach initially added—it shrinks to almost nothing when cooked
Stir in the cream
- Reduce heat to medium-low.
- Slowly pour in the heavy cream (1 cup / 240 ml) while stirring gently and continuously.
- Continue stirring for about 1–2 minutes until the cream is fully incorporated and the chowder is smooth and creamy throughout.
- The color should shift to a pale green.
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Ready when: Cream is incorporated; chowder is smooth and pale green
Tip: Use medium-low heat to prevent the cream from breaking or curdling
Season to taste
- Season the chowder with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Start with about ½ teaspoon (3 g) of salt and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper, then taste and adjust as needed.
- Simmer gently for 1 minute to allow the flavors to meld.
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Ready when: Flavors are balanced and well-seasoned
Serve hot
- Remove from heat.
- Fish out and discard the bay leaf.
- Taste the chowder one more time and adjust salt and pepper if needed.
- Ladle into bowls and serve hot.
- If desired, top each bowl with a small handful of finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 tablespoon / 6 g per serving).
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Ready when: Bay leaf is removed; chowder is piping hot
Tip: Cream can mask salt, so taste carefully before serving—you may need more seasoning than expected
Good to know
Tips
- Do not skip the light roux made with flour—it creates a silky, thickened texture without needing to add more cream, and it prevents the chowder from tasting heavy
- Fresh spinach wilts dramatically during cooking, reducing to almost nothing, so start with more than seems reasonable
- For richer flavor, substitute half of the vegetable broth with chicken broth
- Finely dice the potatoes so they cook quickly and integrate seamlessly into the chowder rather than becoming mushy
Make ahead
This chowder can be prepared up to 2 days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Do not boil, as heavy cream can break down at high temperatures and the chowder may separate.
Storage & reheating
Room temperature: up to 2 hours in a covered pot. Refrigerator: up to 3 days in an airtight container. Freezer: up to 2 months (though cream-based soups are best enjoyed fresh; if freezing, consider omitting the cream and adding it when reheating). To reheat: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator if frozen, then reheat gently on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring occasionally. If the chowder seems thick after storage, thin it with a splash of additional broth or cream.
Substitutions
- canned artichoke hearts, packed in water → Fresh or frozen asparagus. Use about 1.5 cups fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces, or 10 oz frozen asparagus; add in step 7 and cook for 3–4 minutes until tender
- heavy cream → Sour cream or Greek yogurt. Stir in gently at the end to avoid curdling; use about ¾ cup since it is tangier and richer
- vegetable broth or stock → Chicken broth. Use the same amount for a lighter, poultry-forward flavor
- fresh spinach → Frozen spinach. Thaw completely and squeeze dry; use 10 oz frozen spinach (about 3–4 oz after squeezing); add in step 8 without the wilting step
