Hearty and Healthy Manhattan Clam Chowder

This hearty and healthy Manhattan Clam Chowder is easy to whip up, good for the waistline and will satisfy any size appetite!

Do you prefer white or red? No, not wine, but clam chowder? It’s kind of like asking if you are a vanilla or a chocolate person. Coke or Pepsi. PC or Mac. Okay, getting out of hand here.

I admit, that if I had to choose, I would choose New England Clam Chowder over Manhattan Clam Chowder. But, then I made my own version of the lovely red soup, and I’m in love!

Manhattan Clam Chowder Calories

Calorie-wise, you can’t compare the two. They are leagues apart. A bowl of tomato-based Manhattan clam chowder soup is about 285 calories while a bowl of cream based New England clam chowder is about 440 calories. But, yet we still want and desire that silky smooth soup.

You can reduce the calorie count by omitting the bacon and use 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil to sauté the vegetables. This will only reduce the calorie count by about 12 per serving.

If you are counting carbs, you can swap out the potatoes for chopped cauliflower and celery root, celeriac. 

How to make hearty and healthy Manhattan clam chowder

Like all good chowders, this Manhattan Chowder starts with BACON! Which is kinda funny because I don’t like bacon in my white chowder, but I do love it in my red chowder. Go figure!

The veggie base of the soup is chunks of potatoes, celery and carrots. I also add chunks of tomatoes along with the usual tomato sauce and clam broth. It is thick and chunky and very satisfying!

I kicked it up a notch by adding some jalapeño peppers to it, but they were mild so I spiked it with some cayenne pepper, too. You can kick up the heat with your favorite hot sauce, too, so pick your favorite.

Because when you curl up with a bowl of soup, you don’t want to doze off halfway through eating it, right? My husband is a lightweight with the spicy stuff, so you can always keep out of the soup.

Final thoughts on healthy Manhattan clam chowder

I made my Manhattan Clam Chowder for a teacher’s luncheon at school. It’s everything I personally want in a soup. Hearty, full of goodies and not all watery or plain. I saved a bowl full for myself because I couldn’t resist!

This red chowder is one of my favorite soups and is perfect for those of you who have big appetites and need more to nosh on than a simple soup. And with the cooler weather, we all need a warm hug for our tummies.

So, which do you prefer: White or Red Chowdah?

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Yield: serves 6-8

Healthy Manhattan Clam Chowder

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This hearty and healthy Manhattan Clam Chowder is easy to whip up, good for the waistline and will satisfy any size appetite!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 31 oz canned clams
• 4 slices of bacon, chopped
• 3 celery stalk, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 medium carrots, diced (about 10 oz)
• 12 oz red potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 large jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced (optional)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper, (optional)
• 29 oz canned diced tomatoes
• 1 quart V8 juice
• ½ cup lemon juice
• 1 cup chopped parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp fresh thyme

Instructions

1. Separate and reserve the juice (approximately 1 quart) from the canned clams.
2. Heat a large stock pot on medium-high and add chopped bacon.
3. When browned, remove bacon pieces and reserve.
4. Add celery, onions, carrots, potatoes and jalapeño to the bacon fat remaining in the pot and sauté vegetables for approximately 10 minutes.
5. Stir in garlic, salt and both peppers.
6. Cook for 3 minutes then stir in 1 quart of reserved clam juice.
7. Stir in reserved cleaned clams along with tomatoes, V8 juice, lemon juice, parsley, bay leaves and thyme.
8. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
9. Prior to serving, adjust seasoning to taste.

Notes

Serving Suggestions: Great alone, with a green salad or with a chunk of hearty bread.

Cooking Tips: Allergic to shell fish? Try using fish, like cod, and fish broth instead.

For a low carb version, swap out potatoes with chopped cauliflower and celeriac.

If you do not want to use bacon, remove and use 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil to sauté vegetables.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1 bowl
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 285Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 875mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 5gSugar: 9gProtein: 32g