With Lent upon us once again, we begin to search our cookbooks and recipe websites for new ways to make meatless meals to carry us through Easter. We have our favorite old standbys, but it’s nice to surprise the family with a new dish occasionally.
Since Lent is being celebrated during our cold winter months, soups are a big part of our menus, whether for lunch or dinner. But, vegetable soups just don’t seem to “stick to your ribs,” like chili and meaty chicken noodle or vegetable beef soup. Chowders, on the other hand, are great, hunger-quenching alternatives.
Clam chowder is one of our family’s favorites whether it’s the creamy New England type or the tomato-based Manhattan style. For a change of pace, though, I sometimes make this Ranch Clam Chowder recipe I found in an old Hidden Valley Ranch recipe book from the early ‘90s. The soup is so rich and thick it’s guaranteed to be a satisfying change of pace from your regular clam chowder. It’s great with a fish sandwich or just a big chunk of crusty French bread. And, a cup of hot tea really rounds out a delicious hot lunch or light dinner and warms you up inside!
RANCH CLAM CHOWDER
1/4 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 (10-3/4-ounce) can cream of potato soup
1 1/2 cups of half and half
1 (1-ounce) package Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing mix
1 (10-ounce) can whole baby clams, undrained
Chopped parsley
In a 3-quart saucepan, cook onion in butter over medium heat until onion is soft but not browned. Add mushrooms and Worcestershire sauce. Cook until mushrooms are soft and pan juices have almost evaporated.
In medium bowl, whisk together potato soup, half and half and salad dressing mix until smooth. Drain clam juice into dressing mixture; stir into mushrooms in pan. Cook, uncovered, until soup is heated through, but not boiling. Add clams to soup; cook until heated through. Garnish with parsley. Serves 6.
Note: If you don’t have fresh mushrooms, I’ve used 2 small cans of mushroom stems and pieces and it tastes fine. You also can use an equal amount of your own homemade potato soup instead of canned, and finally, if you want to substitute an equal amount of condensed milk instead of half and half, the results are nearly the same.
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