Panera’s Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Panera’s Broccoli Cheddar Soup is comfort food at its best and tastes just like Panera. This soup is an easy dinner that hits the spot and quick enough for a weeknight. This broccoli cheese soup competes for the #1 soup recipe on this blog with this crockpot potato soup.

BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP

I know this Panera’s Broccoli Cheddar Soup recipe has made the rounds around the blogs but my job is to share recipes that I really love and this is one of them.

The reason I know that this recipe tastes just like the delicious Broccoli Cheddar soup at Panera is because I ate this at least once a week during my last pregnancy.

It was the ONLY thing that I looked forward to eating and I’m sure the peeps at Panera knew me by name. They serve this Panera’s Broccoli Cheese Soup with a warm crusty baguette. Oh my goodness.

It almost makes me want to get pregnant again.

I once was in charge of making soup for 250 women. Guess which soup went first? Nope. Not the chicken noodle.

Yes, you guessed it. The Broccoli Cheddar soup. I mean who doesn’t like broccoli and cheese? Not only is it a healthy broccoli cheese soup recipe, it’s only 417 calories a serving.

You’ll need about 3 cups of broccoli chopped into bite sized pieces. You’re supposed to julienne a carrot. I cook a lot and I do not have the patience to do that.

They sell “matchstick” carrots in the produce section. Save yourself some sanity and time and just buy those.

It’s important to use sharp cheese here in this Panera’s Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe as it gives it more flavor than a milder cheese.

Then eat a couple of bowls of this delicious broccoli cheddar soup. After all, it is the first day of fall today.

Is this Panera’s Broccoli Cheddar Soup gluten-free?

Part of the thickening agent in this soup is the flour in the roux. There’s only 1/4 cup and you can definitely leave it out but your soup will not be as thick. You can thicken it at the very end if needed by creating a cornstarch slurry.

Add a couple tablespoons of cornstarch to a small bowl and add water until it forms a paste. Whisk in this mixture at the end of cooking to thicken up the soup.

HOW TO MAKE PANERA’S BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP

1. Met the 1/4 cup butter and sautee the onions in it until soft. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.

2. Whisk in the half & half and chicken stock.

3. Add the broccoli and carrots. Cook over low heat for 20-25 minutes or until the broccoli and carrots are tender.

4. Add salt and pepper. You can leave the soup chunky or blend about 1 cup of the soup and stir it in for a smoother soup (that’s what I do). Return to low heat and add the cheese. If your heat is too high your soup can get grainy. Stir in the nutmeg if desired.

5. Serve with crusty bread.

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