Photo of Fresh Manhattan clam chowder by WW

Fresh Manhattan clam chowder

2
Points® value
Total Time
1 hr 43 min
Prep
30 min
Cook
1 hr 13 min
Serves
8
Difficulty
Moderate
We love chowders on chilly days. Lean turkey bacon gives this version a nice smoky flavour.

Ingredients

Uncooked turkey bacon

5 slice(s)

Olive oil

2 tsp(s)

Onion

1 large, diced into 1/2-inch pieces

Carrots

2 large, diced into 1/2-inch pieces

Celery

4 stalk(s), medium, diced into 1/2-inch pieces

Uncooked potato

½ pound(s), diced into 1/2-inch pieces

Canned clam juice

4 cup(s), or bottled clam juice

Canned crushed tomatoes in tomato puree

32 oz, plum-variety

Fresh thyme

1½ tbsp(s), leaves (or less to taste)

Bay leaf

1 leaf/leaves

Table salt

½ tsp(s)

Black pepper

½ pinch(es)

Uncooked clams with shell

3 pound(s), little neck-variety, shells scrubbed*

Fresh parsley

¼ cup(s), fresh, minced (or less to taste)

Instructions

  1. In a large heavy pot, sauté bacon over medium-high heat until crispy, about 5 to 6 minutes; remove bacon, crumble it and set aside.
  2. In the same pot, heat olive oil over medium heat for about 1 minute. Add onions, carrots, celery and potatoes; stir vegetables, scraping bacon drippings from bottom of pot with a wooden spoon, to mix and coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions wilt, about 10 to 15 minutes; add clam juice, tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil for about 1 minute and then reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are tender, about 50 minutes.
  3. Add clams to soup, cover and increase heat to high. Boil soup just until clams open, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove clams from shells, discard shells and place clams back in soup. Toss in parsley, crumbled bacon and serve. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Notes

*You can also use canned clams if you prefer. You can change the flavour of this soup by adding different herbs like chives, lemon thyme, oregano or cilantro. And throw in additional healthy ingredients such as string beans, celery root or fava beans (could affect Points values).