Homemade Clam Chowder

Soups are a favorite in my home, especially creamy soups. Clam Chowder is one of those soups that people either love or hate. Sometimes, it can be overpowering with the “fishy” flavors but this recipe gives the right amount of creamy base, smoky bacon, and silky potato to balance out the flavor of the clams. Homemade Clam Chowder is a belly warming, soul soothing soup that’s totally doable on a weeknight.

While not always common, I like to add the smokiness of bacon to get an extra layer of flavor. It’s not enough to make it the most prominent flavor but enough to give it the depth of flavor. You could also use some ham to achieve a similar flavor. I used some from our holiday ham and it was great. I diced it up small and crisped it up (treat it just like the recipe says to do with the bacon).

As you can see in the photos, I like to serve this Chowder up in a bread bowl. I’m lucky to have these readily available, almost always in my grocery bakery department. It’s just an extra layer of fancy that makes this a fun meal. This soup would be absolutely delicious in a bowl – I do like to use a deeper soup bowl, instead of the shallow pasta bowl I serve a lot of my soups in. If you go for the bread bowl, I have a pretty good method for cutting it out. I go in at a 45deg angle to take the top out. Then go in 90deg all that edge (careful not to go through the bottom) to separate more of the bread. Last just gently pull out some (not all) of the bread to make for a bigger soup bowl.

If you do opt for the bread bowl, you aren’t likely to need much more for a meal. If you are serving up in a bowl, I would suggest something like a green salad with a simple vinaigrette. The Chowder is fairly rich and creamy, so you want something light to balance it out. My family also likes to have those little oyster crackers to eat with their chowder – it adds to the whole experience. If you are having trouble getting the soup to the desired thickness, you can add some potato flakes (about 1/4 cup at a time, letting it cook for 3 minutes in between).

Now Let’s Get Cookin’!

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Homemade Clam Chowder

A creamy soup loaded with vegetables and clams for a delicious #entreesoup

Course Dinner, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword chowder, clam chowder, clams, creamy soup, golden potatoes, soup recipes, soups

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Servings 6

Ingredients

• ½ lb Bacon cut into ½inch pieces
• 4 tbsp Butter
• 4 tbsp Flour
• 1 Medium Yellow Onion minced
• 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
• 1 cup Carrot minced
• 1 cup Celery minced
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Pepper
• 1 tsp Thyme
• 1 tsp Sage
• ½ tsp Paprika
• 2 qt Broth chicken or vegetable
• 2 cup Golden Potatoes peeled and diced (1in cubes)
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 2 tbsp Cornstarch
• 4 6.5oz cans Chopped Clams (in clam juice) DO NOT USE CLAMS IN OIL

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

• In your largest stock pot over medium high heat, cook bacon until crispy. Remove to a paper towel covered plate. Leave all grease in pot.
• Add butter. Once melted add onion, garlic, carrots, celery, salt, pepper, thyme, sage, and paprika. Saute for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to medium. Add flour and stir to combine. Let cook another 3 minutes.
• Add broth and potatoes. Allow to boil and cook for 25 minutes. Potatoes should be soft but not mushy.
• Remove a third of the soup to a mixing bowl and blitz with an immersion blender. (or use a blender, just use caution when blending hot items). Once mostly smooth, add corn starch and heavy cream. Blend until fully incorporated. Return to pot. Stir to combine.
• Add clams, with all of their juices, along with cooked bacon and stir to combine. Let cook and thicken another 15 minutes. Serve in a bread bowl or other soup bowl. Garnish with parsley, if desired.