Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I know, I know.  Recipes are supposed to be on Friday.  And we’re Sunday.  I promise you the wait was worth it.  How many readers are familiar with Panera Bread?  Ok, ok, I see a few hands went up.  You are the lucky ones.  Until recently, Panera Bread was an exclusively American chain serving amazing, incredible soups and sandwiches.  Think Subway but a million times better.  I say “until recently” because they now have several Canadian locations including one right here in Ottawa.

One of their best-known and most loved options is their broccoli cheddar soup.  Simply delicious.  Sometimes, we don’t feel like going out or spending money to get some. So I have attempted to replicate it, using this recipe from Allrecipes.com.  I invite you all to try this version, then go to Panera and try theirs.  I think you’ll be surprised at how alike they are.  I’m quite impressed.

The original

Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheddar 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 cheese
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion in hot butter until translucent, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
2. Whisk 1/4 cup melted butter and flour together in a large saucepan over medium-low heat; cook until flour loses its granular texture, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk if necessary to keep the flour from burning, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. 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.
4. Stir Cheddar cheese into vegetable mixture until cheese melts. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

My version

As usual, a few notes and remarks after making it....

I didn’t include carrots, mostly because I didn’t feel like cutting them up.  You can throw some in, or throw in other veggies.  You can also put in garlic or other cheeses.  Anything you want, really, to make it your own.

Hope you enjoyed this week’s recipe :)

Stay cheesy!

Captain Cheese