Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup
“My husband loves Panera® broccoli cheddar soup but it went up in price and therefore we set out on a hunt to create the perfect broccoli cheddar soup. Here is what we came up with. There are tons of variations and options to make this soup your own. You can add extra veggies, different cheeses, garlic to your onions, a little nutmeg to the finished soup, green onions, sour cream, etc. The list goes on and on. Make it your own! Serve topped with cheese!”

I made this soup and my husband (who is not a really big soup fan) could not get enough of it. Only difference I made to the recipe was using 1 cup milk and 1 cup cream (since I had it on hand), rather than 2 cups 2%. Also, I didn’t have the full amount of cheddar, so I threw in maybe 1/3 cup slab of veleeta to make up the difference. But I almost never have velveeta, and would recommend sticking with the cheddar just out of principle’s sake. I used the stock to make the flour thickener rather than the milk/cream (just a preference). Then I added the milk and cream at the end with the cheese. It was definitely a delicious and thick soup, just like Panera’s. Yum! Thanks a bunch, gildawen!

The family loved this soup. The only changes I made was to thin the roux with chicken broth instead of milk and added the broth instead of milk. Then I added all the veggies and simmered it, then added the milk at the end. Wonderful soup!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped broccoli florets
1 cup matchstick-cut carrots
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
2 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheesesalt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion in hot butter until translucent, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
Whisk 1/4 cup melted butter and flour together in a large saucepan over medium-low heat; cook until flour loses it’s granular texture, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk if necessary to keep the flour from burning, 3 to 4 minutes.
Gradually pour milk into flour mixture while whisking constantly. Stir chicken stock into milk mixture. Bring to a simmer; cook until flour taste is gone and mixture is thickened, about 20 minutes. Add broccoli, carrots, sauteed onion, and celery; simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
Stir Cheddar cheese into vegetable mixture until cheese melts. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cook’s Note:

  • I use 2% milk but you can use any, including half and half.
  • Tip
  • Aluminum foil helps keep food moist, ensures it cooks evenly, keeps leftovers fresh, and makes clean-up easy.