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Manhatten Clam Chowder in white bowl with seeded roll, spoons on wooden board

Slow Cooker Clam Chowder

  • Author: Deb
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 6 hours 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 7 hours
  • Yield: 16 servings 1x
  • Category: Soup, Dinner
  • Method: Slow Cooker
  • Cuisine: American

Description

A hearty, chunky soup filled with vegetables, clams and a rich, flavorful broth.  Perfect for dunking some crusty bread or rolls.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 6 slices bacon
  • 1 large white or yellow onion, diced
  • 4-5 carrots, chopped
  • 4 stalks of celery, chopped
  • 1 cup of corn-fresh, can or frozen
  • 2 32 ounce cartons of vegetable broth*
  • 3 large russet potatoes, chopped into medium sized dice
  • 1 24 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
  • 3 8 oz. bottles of clam juice
  • 1 cup of shucked clams with the liquid. *
  • 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
  • 2 Bay leaves
  • salt & black pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Fry bacon, drain, saving one tablespoon fat, let cool, crumble and set aside.
  2. Sauce the onion in bacon fat until lightly caramelized, about 4-5 minutes.
  3. Put all ingredients except clams into slow cooker.
  4. Cook on low for about 6 hours until vegetables are just about tender.
  5. Pour clams and their liquid into slow cooker and cook for another 30 -45 minutes until veggies are done and clams are cooked.
  6. Taste test broth for any additional spices.

Notes

* You can substitute chicken stock for the vegetable broth.

*This slow cooker manhattan clam chowder recipe makes a large amount of soup.  I like to freeze the leftovers in an airtight container for future meals.  The ingredients can easily be cut in half to make a smaller batch.  Just lower the time it takes to cook to about 3 - 4 hours.

*Fresh or frozen clams is preferable but  you can use 3 or 4  6oz. cans of chopped clams. 

*You can substitute the bacon with ham, pancetta, turkey bacon or sausage.

*Add a few drops of hot sauce or red pepper flakes if you want the chowder to be spicier.

** For a lower carb version, leave out the potatoes and corn.  You can substitute some parsnips or turnips if you'd like. 

Keywords: seafood, clam stew, savory soup