soups and stews Archives · Jess in the Kitchen

Homemade Clam Chowder

If you hang out with me on Instagram, you may know that I am part of a collab that cooks from a different cookbook each month. The intent was to use those books that are collecting dust, but for many of us, it has led to us purchasing more books. Ha! For me, it has also led to some new explorations and recipe development. Case in point, this homemade clam chowder.

A month ago, I had pulled out the first cookbook I ever bought, Betty Crocker’s Big Red Cookbook (okay, that might not be it’s name, but that’s what I am calling it) and in flipping through the pages for our challenge, I stumbled on the clam chowder recipe. That’s one of the Mr’s favorites!

It was super simple; too simple. And when I cook for our cookbook collab, I try my best to stick to the recipe and avoid going rogue, as much as I would like to. That meant I picked different recipes for the collab, but also that it was time for me to play and create my own take on clam chowder. I knew my husband would love it!

Ready to give it a try? Let’s cook together!

Your Ingredients

2 cans of clams, reserving the juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced onion
2 cups diced potatoes
1 ½ cups diced celery
1 teaspoon garlic
1 cup water
¼ cup flour
¼ cup butter
1 cup half and half
1 ½ cups milk
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon salt

Your Steps to Homemade Clam Chowder

In a dutch oven (I love my cast iron Dutch oven!), heat olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add onion, potatoes, and celery. Saute for 8-10 minutes, until the onion has softened. Stir in garlic, water, and clam juice. Add additional water to make sure the vegetables are covered, if needed.

Bring to a boil and simmer the vegetables for ten minutes, until potatoes are soft. Meanwhile, add the butter to a medium skillet on medium heat. Once melted, whisk in the flour and cook until it starts to just brown. SLOWLY, slowly stir in the half and half, ¼ cup or so at a time. Add salt and pepper.

Whisk the half and half mixture into the vegetable mixture. Stir in milk and clams and cook until just heated through to prevent the clams from getting chewy.

Note: If you dig a creamier soup, swap some of the milk for more half and half or use a whole milk rather than something like skim.

Chopped vegetables for homemade clam chowder — Cook down those vegetables.

All those vegetables cooked down. — Cook down those vegetables.

Homemade Clam Chowder

A simple and delicious take on clam chowder that can be put together in under 40 minutes!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Course dinner, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American

Servings

Equipment

Ingredients

2 cans clams reserving the juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced onion
2 cups diced potatoes
1 ½ cups diced celery
1 teaspoon garlic
1 cup water
¼ cup flour
¼ cup butter
1 cup half and half
1 ½ cups milk
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

In a dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add onion, potatoes, and celery. Saute for 8-10 minutes, until the onion has softened.
Stir in garlic, water, and clam juice. Add additional water to make sure the vegetables are covered, if needed. Bring to a boil and simmer the vegetables for ten minutes, until potatoes are soft.
Meanwhile, add the butter to a medium skillet on medium heat. Once melted, whisk in the flour and cook until it starts to just brown. SLOWLY, slowly whisk in the half and half, ¼ cup or so at a time. Add salt and pepper.
Whisk the half and half mixture into the vegetable mixture. Stir in milk and clams and cook until just heated through to prevent the clams from getting chewy. Serve immediately.

Notes

Note: If you dig a creamier soup, swap some of the milk for more half and half or use a whole milk rather than something like skim.

Keyword cast iron cooking, clam chowder, clams, cream soup, fall eats, Potatoes, sides, soup, soups and stews, winter eats

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Looking for other recipes?

Might I suggest some of my other favorite soups and stews and a dessert or two! Or you can head right to my Baking or Cooking page for more inspiration.

February 11, 2023February 10, 2023

JessLeave a comment

Corn and Pancetta Chowder

If you’ve been around for any length of time, you know that I live for comfort food. Can it be cooked low and slow or as a bake? Then I am here for it. Specifically, soup season is my absolute favorite. I love all the things that come with creating a soup: chopping the veg, stirring periodically with love, and then smells that take over the house. It pairs so well with some homemade bread (I bake sourdough!) and a salad. All my favorites. So when I suddenly got to thinking about corn chowder, I looked in my fridge and pantry and this delicious corn and pancetta chowder was the result.

Now you may be asking, “Why pancetta?” Friends, until a couple months ago, I had never cooked with it. A recipe I was trying out for a collab I do on Instagram called for it, and I gave it a try. And my goodness. It has quickly become a staple for cooking in my house. It’s just that good. If you want to skip the pancetta, you can totally do bacon instead. But I dare you to cook up some crispy pancetta and NOT want to eat the entire container.

The rest of the ingredients are completely pantry items. You don’t even need heavy cream or half and half (which I have on hand maybe 30% of the time). The half blending of the simmered vegetables creates a creamy and thick chowder that’s divine.

Ready to get cooking? Let’s go!

Your Ingredients for Corn and Pancetta Chowder

4 ounces pancetta (or thick cut bacon, cut into small pieces)
1 yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
2 celery ribs, diced (about ¾ cup)
3 cups diced potatoes (I left the skin on)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon pepper
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups corn (fresh or frozen)
2 ½ -3 cups milk, divided
1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
Salt and dried thyme, to taste
Olive oil

Your Steps

Add a small amount of olive oil (2 teaspoons or so) to a soup kettle (I love my cast iron Dutch ovens). Once hot, add pancetta and cook over medium heat until crispy. Remove cooked pancetta and allow it to drain on a paper towel. Reserve ⅔ of the fat from the pancetta to cook the vegetables.

Meanwhile, dice onions, celery, and potatoes. Over medium heat, cook the onions, celery, and garlic in the pancetta fat until softened, about 8 minutes. Add potatoes and allow to cook for another 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and pepper. Heat to a low boil and cook until the potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, spray a small frying pan with non-stick cooking spray and heat to a medium, high temperature. Add corn and cook until just charred (this is optional, but will enhance that flavor!).

Once the potatoes are soft, add 1 cup of corn to the kettle. Then use an immersion blender to break down the vegetables about 50% of the way. I leave it in the kettle and just go by feel but you can remove 50-60% of the veg and do it in another container. Stir in the corn and pancetta to the kettle (reserving some if you care to garnish the top of your soup).

Finally, slowly stir in milk, ½ cup at a time, reserving 1 ½ tablespoons of it. Combine the reserved milk with the cornstarch and whisk together. Bring the soup just to a boil and stir in cornstarch slurry and cook until the soup thickens, about 3 minutes.

Serve it up with some crusty bread, a salad, and garnish with reserved pancetta and corn (if you care to).

Tools of The Trade

When I am making a soup or a stew you can bet I’ll be cooking in my cast iron Dutch oven. There’s just something special about it. I adore my flexible cutting boards and Orrington Broth Base is the best for quick chicken stock.