Our local Costco store sells a variety of foods that cannot be purchased anywhere else. When I saw a display of Ivar’s Puget Sound Style Clam Chowder with Bacon, I decided to give it a try. Ivar’s Acres of Clams is a restaurant in Washington, and the box claimed this was Ivar’s Restaurant Recipe.
The 48 ounce box was found in a refrigerated area, and it contains 3 sixteen ounce plastic pouches of the clam chowder. Each of the pouches makes 24 ounces of chowder because you add one cup of cold water to the contents of the pouch.
My husband made the first batch of Ivar’s Puget Sound Style Clam Chowder with Bacon, and he followed the directions, adding one cup of water. It came out too thin for my liking, so the next time I made it I added just 3/4 cup of whole milk, and what a difference that made! This was a delicious tasting soup, but it was so much better when adding milk instead of water.
The instructions say to add the water and stir to blend. Then you are directed to bring the contents to a boil over medium heat and stir often while simmering for 10-15 minutes. I found 10 minutes to be plenty of cooking time.
I love clam chowder and Ivar’s Puget Sound Style Clam Chowder with Bacon did not disappoint, although it was much better with milk than with water. The chowder is full of tender clams, and rarely did I get a piece that contained a bit of sand. There are generous chunks of potato, giving it a hearty flavor. I was very disappointed that my pouches of soup did not seem to contain any bacon, there was no hint of bacon flavor in our chowder.
On a cold fall or winter evening, a bowl of Ivar’s Puget Sound Style Clam Chowder with Bacon hits the spot. It makes a very quick and easy meal when you don’t know what to fix for dinner, and it is a chowder that is sure to please all chowder lovers. It sure did in our family!