New England Clam Chowder

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups chowder and 1 1/2 teaspoons bacon)

Ingredients

• 4  (6 1/2-ounce) cans chopped clams, undrained
• 2  (8-ounce) bottles clam juice
• 4  bacon slices
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 1  cup  chopped celery
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 3  cups  cubed red potato
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
• 3  parsley sprigs
• 1  bay leaf
• 2  cups  2% reduced-fat milk
• 1/4  cup  all-purpose flour
• 1/2  cup  half-and-half
• Thyme sprigs (optional)

Preparation

Drain clams through a colander into a bowl, reserving liquid and clams. Combine clam liquid and clam juice.

Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings in pan. Crumble bacon; set aside. Add onion, celery, and garlic to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender. Add clam juice mixture, potato, and next 4 ingredients (through bay leaf); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until potato is tender.

Combine milk and flour, stirring with a whisk until smooth; add to pan. Stir in clams and half-and-half. Cook 5 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Serve with bacon. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

194 (25% from fat)

Fat:

5.4g (sat 2.7g,mono 1.9g,poly 0.4g)

Protein:

12.3g

Carbohydrate:

23.7g

Fiber:

1.4g

Cholesterol:

32mg

Iron:

2.2mg

Sodium:

639mg

Calcium:

111mg