New England Clam Chowder
This easy, tasty New England Clam Chowder has full, rich flavor, even lightened up!
Ingredients
- 6 slices uncooked center cut bacon, chopped
- 1 tablespoon light butter, (I use Land O’Lakes light butter spread with canola oil)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- 8 oz bottle clam juice
- 2 (6.5 oz) each cans chopped clams in clam juice, drained with juices reserved
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 lb peeled russet potatoes, chopped into small bite-sized pieces
- 2 cups fat free half-and-half
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Place the bacon pieces in a dutch oven or soup pot (you can also do this in a separate pan while the soup cooks) and bring over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until bacon pieces are crisp. Transfer the bacon to a pile of paper towels using a slotted spoon. Drain the grease from the pot and wipe it out with a paper towel.
- Place the butter and oil in the pot and bring over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 30-60 seconds.
- Stir together the flour, salt, and pepper in a small dish and pour over the onions and celery in the pot. Stir together until the vegetables are coated and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 minutes. Add the broth, bottle of clam juice, and reserved juice that was drained from the canned clams along with the thyme and bay leaf. Whisk together, scraping up any bits off the bottom of the pot, for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the potatoes and increase the heat to high to bring to a boil. Once boiling, stir and then cover and reduce heat to low to simmer. Simmer covered for 15 minutes until potatoes are tender. Remove bay leaf.
- Stir in the half and half and the chopped clams and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes until warmed through. Makes 9 (1 cup) servings. Top each serving with a sprinkle of parsley and 2 teaspoons of crumbled bacon
Notes
To view your WW Points for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, click here!
WW Points: 4 per (1 cup) serving (Points calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)
Nutrition Information per (1 cup) serving:
147 calories, 20 g carbs, 4 g sugars, 4 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 8 g protein, 1 g fiber, 614 mg sodium (from myfitnesspal.com)
Weight Watchers Points Plus:
4 per (1 cup) serving (PP calculated using a Weight Watchers PointsPlus calculator and the nutrition info below
Inspired by Little Sunny Kitchen and House of Nash Eats