Simple Clam Chowder

People! This is supposed to be New England style "chowdah" not a cajun dish. Therefore, no hot sauce,red pepper flakes, peas or heaven help me lima beans! The flour should be cooked down in a roux with the drippings. How thick you like it decides how much flour to milk ratio. This is a decent recipe but personally I can't think calories when making good chowdah. 

Was a little disappointed with this recipe. The potatoes dissolved completely in the chowder; were I to make this again, I would double the amount of potatoes, adding half as currently directed (they help to thicken the chowder) and the other half with the milk and flour. And the portions seemed small. I cut the recipe to serve 4 (as there are only two of us), and DH and I finished it all -- with crackers! For a CL recipe, this just doesn't cut it.

This was good, but I had to doctor it up by adding about a tsp of hot sauce to it and about an extra teaspoon of cracked pepper, some smoked paprika and kosher salt to taste. And five cups of potatoes is much more than a pound! With my changes it was a big hit!

We liked it but I took the recommendation of other reviewers and used cornstarch instead of flour. I also added some peas, corn and baby lima beans. I definitely think the additions made the difference between a 3 star and a 4 star recipe. Not a 5 though. But a 4 is still pretty darned good and I'd definately make again.

Based on the recipe "as-is" I give this 3 stars, mainly because it's a great base but really lacking in spices. First, I added 1/2 of the flour and very glad that I did. I didn't want a really thick chowder, and cutting this in half made it creamy but not like glue. I also used fresh thyme (1 sprig = 1/2 t dried). Second, when I finished there was very little spic,. it just tasted bland! I added sea salt, freshly grated black pepper, crushed red pepper and then about 2T of fresh parsley and another sprig of the thyme. After adding the spices, I'd give this 4 stars. Next time, I will try corn starch instead of flour, as another reviewer did. I think it would take away the flour taste while giving it the creaminess. Hopefully that will bring it to 5 stars for me.

We've made a visual summary for this recipe with pictures of each ingredient. Check it out: http://counterchef.com/recipes/author/ellieGGGGG/title/simple-clam-chowder/

We've made this several times, and it's always a hit. No changes needed - it's great as is.

This was simple to make, I am a novice at cooking and looking for fairly easy recipes. This was easy to make and got a rating of 8 out of 10 from the hubby, he thought it should be thicker. Will make this again!

Quick, easy, and tasty. The only change I made was to make a roux with butter to avoid lumps...and I do love the flavor a bit of butter adds to creamy soups.

I just made the clam chowder and it was the biggest hit!!! thanks for the recipe it was the greatest!!

Absolutely delicious and amazing that it's so low in fat. I did add 1c heavy cream and 1 Tbsp. butter for a bit more of the sweet-rich mouthfeel, but spread over the entire batch, it doesn't add that much more fat. So wonderful.

Wonderful chowder. Even served it to guests from massachusetts and they thought it was one of the best chowders they ever had.

Low cal, super easy, tastes like the full fat thing!!!

Made this for X-mass dinner and everyone loved it. It was not the richest, thickest soup like the ones you get at restaurants, but much healthier. I added one 15oz crab meat for more seafood flavor. I also used whole wheat pastry flour and hemp milk (lactose free) and it came out fine. Will keep this recipe because it serves a large crowd.

This is PERFECT clam chowder! My only regret is that I made half a batch instead of the full recipe :(

This chowder was fantastic! I made half of the original recipe and loved it!

Excellent recipe. Great taste without all the guilt.

Really, really tasty. I'm from Maine, so clam chowder is generally a staple in our home and this recipe has become our go-to (I prefer it to the regular butter and cream laden versions). Great flavor, no one ever believes it's low fat! Try it, you'll love it.

I cut this to 1/3 the original recipe and substituted half as much cornstarch for the flour (smoother, no flour taste), prosciutto for bacon (had a slice in the freezer that needed using), and added about 1/4 t strong smoked paprika to buck up the smoky taste. I also added some frozen green peas at the end simply because my mother always did! Made an excellent dinner-quality chowder for two (husband ate two bowls) which we enjoyed with baguette slices and green salad.

Great recipe! I quartered the recipe since it's just my hubby and I, and it still came out as an excellent clam chowder. I omitted the bacon (saves some more calories and fat), but that was my only "change" to the recipe. Next time I make this, I will cut the potatoes into bigger cubes because some of the pieces dissolved after being cooked for the time the soup needed to thicken. I will DEFINITELY make this soup again - I love how it had the thickness of a real chowder without the usual heavy cream!

This soup is very tasty! I didn't think my two young boys would eat it because of the clams, but they cleaned out their bowls. And my husband, who is not a huge fan of soup, asked me to make this again. Great with corn muffins and salad.