Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup

chefnini's Note:

A very good broccoli cheese soup. Serve with crusty bread.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 10 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• ½ medium chopped onion
• ¼ cup melted butter
• ¼ cup flour
• 2 cups half-and-half cream
• 2 cups chicken stock
• ½ lb fresh broccoli
• 1 cup carrot , julienned
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Sauté onion in butter. Set aside.
2. Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and add the half & half.
3. Add the chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat 20-25 minutes.
5. Add salt and pepper. Can be puréed in a blender but I don't. Return to heat and add cheese. Stir in nutmeg.

Reviews

[petsvet]

I just read about a hundred of these reviews...I think its funny how people say "this doesn't taste at all like Panera" and then go on about how they changed this and that part of the recipe when they tried it:-) I have not yet made this, but when I do I'll be using vegetable broth (not sure if I should use that or chicken-style vegetarian broth). Even so, a suggestion that might be helpful. The people that say it was flavorless...my guess is if you use a high quality sharp cheddar like Cabot instead of Kraft it will make it much more flavorful. And then it seems like most of the people that really disliked this recipe said it was much too thick. The recipe didn't specify whether or not to cover while simmering, but that can impact how thick the soup is as can the size/shape of the pot and what your definition of a "simmer" and "low heat" are, among other things. Its easy enough to replace water that has evaporated or add more broth (depending on how the too thick soup tastes)...silly to grudgingly eat it or throw it out because its too thick!

[FrenchBunny]

This was an awesome soup. And whether this tastes exactly like Panera who cares, it is fantastic. I think you would have to have a side by side taste test to even compare, and lets face it , if you don't use the exact brand names of what Panera uses it won't taste the exact same anyways. Reading all the previous reviewers about the nutmeg was getting me nervous but I wanted to try the receipe as written and I did and I was worrying for nothing. The flavors were outstanding. The only thing I changed was I grated the carrot instead of julienned and I used my immersion blender in it for just a few seconds at the end. Everything turned out fantastic. I loved it and it is such a filling soup too. This is a soup I will be making again. Thanks so much for sharing chefnini.

[One Happy Mama]

Wow! I am freaking out right now because I just made Panera's Broc/Cheddar soup in my own kitchen! It tastes exactly like their recipe. I just wish I had made bread bowls to go with it! I would give it 500 stars! It thickened up great and tasted amazing! This is a true 5 Star winner!