CLAM CHOWDER SHELL PASTA

Clam Chowder Shell Pasta image

Pastas done with sauces inspired by famous soups? We might have stumbled upon a new category of recipe with this one! A creamy, clam chowder-inspired sauce with potatoes and bacon pairs perfectly with shell pasta in this easy dinner recipe. This technique may not work with any soup, but it sure did with this one!

Provided by Chef John

Time 1h

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 16

Ingredients

4 slices bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup diced onion
¼ teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 (6.5 ounce) can whole clams
1 (6.5 ounce) can minced clams
1 (8 ounce) bottle clam juice
1 (8 ounce) package shell pasta
½ cup peeled, diced Yukon Gold potatoes
⅓ cup diced celery
1 sprig fresh tarragon
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
½ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon finely chopped Italian parsley, or more to taste
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, or more to taste

Steps:

Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crisp, about 10 to 12 minutes. Pour bacon and grease into a strainer set over a bowl to let the grease drain out. Reserve bacon until needed and discard grease or set aside for another use.
Place the skillet back over medium heat and add butter, onion, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook and stir until onion starts to soften and turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add flour and cook and stir for about 1 minute to create a roux.
Drain both cans clams and set clams aside for later.
Pour clam juice from the cans and the bottle into the skillet; whisk to scrape off any bits from the bottom of the skillet. Raise heat to medium-high and let come to a simmer.
While the clam juice is coming to a simmer, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add shells and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, 9 to 12 minutes.
Add potatoes, celery, tarragon, and cayenne to the simmering clam juice mixture. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the reserved clams, cream, and all but 1 tablespoon of the reserved bacon. Simmer gently for another 10 minutes, then remove and discard tarragon sprig.
Drain pasta well and add to the clam sauce; mix until well combined. Turn off the heat and let sit for 1 minute.
Stir in parsley and Parmesan cheese. Taste and adjust salt if necessary.
Ladle into warm bowls. Sprinkle with more Parmesan, crumbled bacon, and parsley.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 569.9 calories, Carbohydrate 53 g, Cholesterol 115.8 mg, Fat 30.1 g, Fiber 2.8 g, Protein 24.1 g, SaturatedFat 14.1 g, Sodium 988.5 mg