Easy Broccoli Cheddar Soup Recipe Copycat Panera

Panera surveyed its customers in celebration of National Soup Month — which takes place in January, in case you were wondering — and found that in 49 of the 50 states, cheddar and broccoli is the soup of choice (Minnesota, the only one to resist, prefers cream of chicken and wild rice). ). Sure, it’s part of the chain’s permanent menu and can also be purchased at grocery stores like Kroger, but few things are as satisfying as making your own soup. Developer Kate Shungu’s recipe makes it simple to produce a Panera copy and, as she explains, “The soup itself is pretty easy and quick to make.”

The only really time-consuming part of the recipe is preparing the broccoli. You can always buy it pre-cut, but if you buy a whole head, Shungu advises cutting the stems little by little until they become so short that the florets almost fall off on their own. As she explains: “This ensures that you will have the right size broccoli bites for soup. » Do not throw away the stems, as they can be grated or thinly sliced ​​for salads or chopped and added to stir-fries or casseroles.

Read more: 10 weeknight meals to make with a roast chicken

Collect the ingredients for Copycat Panera Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

The soup has a base of butter, yellow onion, flour, paprika, chicken broth, salt, carrots, broccoli florets, heavy cream, Dijon mustard and hot sauce. The cheese component comes from a combination of cheddar and Velveeta.

Step 1: Melt the butter

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Step 2: fry the onion

Add the onion and cook until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Step 3: add the flour

Sprinkle with flour and paprika and cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.

Step 4: Stir in the broth

Stir in chicken stock and salt and bring to a boil.

Step 5: Let the Vegetables Simmer

Add carrots and broccoli and cook until tender, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Step 6: Add the cheese and cream

Add the cream, grated cheddar, Velveeta and Dijon. Heat until melted.

Step 7: Add Hot Sauce to the Soup

Stir in 2 dashes of hot sauce (add more if desired). Ladle the soup into bowls and serve warm.

Copycat Panera Bread Broccoli Cheddar Soup Recipe

What are some tips for making ultra-creamy soup?

One of the reasons Panera soup is so popular is because it’s super creamy, just like this copycat. One way to ensure your soup is as smooth as possible is to buy block cheese and grate it yourself. Most bags of pre-shredded cheese contain additives, the most common being cellulose. Cellulose is a plant fiber that can come from wood pulp, and while it’s perfectly edible, it’s not that meltable. Block cheese, however, is much meltier, especially pasteurized processed cheeses like Velveeta (the real secret to creamy broccoli and cheese soup).

You’ll also use a roux to thicken the soup while ensuring it remains creamy. Roux is simply a mixture of butter and flour, and when you mix the flour with the melted butter left after browning the onion, that’s exactly what you’ll get. To make sure your soup doesn’t form lumps, add the broth little by little. Of course, if you have Wondra Instant Mix Flour on hand, you can sprinkle it into the soup after adding the liquid, because this miracle stuff doesn’t clump like regular flour.

What Makes This the Best Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup Recipe?

There are a number of copycat Panera soup recipes available online, but not all of them are created equal. The best way to make sure your soup tastes just like Panera’s is to use similar ingredients, and this recipe does just that. While some recipes may call for cheddar alone and others only for processed cheese, Panera uses pasteurized processed cheddar which we replicate using a 50-50 blend of the two cheeses to replicate the creamy texture and tangy flavor.

Our recipe also calls for two flavoring ingredients that some recipes omit: mustard and hot sauce. The Panera soup specifically calls for Dijon mustard, so that’s what we use too. The chain doesn’t specify a type of hot sauce, but the soup’s ingredient list says the sauce is made with distilled vinegar, red pepper and salt. These three ingredients (in the same order) are listed on the Tabasco sauce label, although if you prefer a less spicy soup, you can use a milder Louisiana-style sauce such as Frank’s RedHot.

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