How to Make the Panera Bread Broccoli Cheddar Soup Recipe at Hom
One of the most delicious soups you can get with takeout is the Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup Recipe. Over the years, this staple has been duplicated, and you no longer have to pick it up or deliver it. It has become so popular that there is a variation of it available in stores. However, you can get that same great taste at home with fresh ingredients to make it one of your family favorites any time of the year. This is really great for those who love the soup but do not have Panera bread nearby but want that hearty dish that they love.
What Makes This Soup Special?
The comfort that broccoli cheddar soup brings to lovers is something you can enjoy anytime and with any side dish. This is a creamy and hearty soup; most of the ingredients you need to make it at home are in your cabinet and freezer. Broccoli cheddar soup has been an American staple soup for decades, but Panera has recently created a version that was one of the most preferred from coast to coast.
Ingredients
When you are gathering the ingredients for this soup, you will only need to grab a handful from the market since most is already at home in your pantry or freezer.
- Two tablespoons of butter
- One diced onion
- 1/3 cup of melted butter
- 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
- Two cups of whole milk
- Two cups of chicken or vegetable stock
- Two cups of chopped broccoli
- One cup of stick-cut carrots
- Two stalks of thinly sliced celery
- Three cups of sharp cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Substitutions
If you want to keep this a vegetarian dish, make sure you use vegetable broth as your base instead of chicken broth. If you want to change up the milk from whole milk to low-fat or two percent, you can do that. You can also use half-and-half creamer to give it that same consistency if that’s what you have in your refrigerator.
When it comes to the veggies, you can get some that are already chopped, frozen or fresh to cut up yourself. You do want to avoid canned veggies, though, because they will be too soft for the soup.
Build Your Soup
Once you have gathered your Panera broccoli cheddar soup recipe ingredients, it is time to start preparing and cooking your ingredients.
1. Prepare Your Veggies
Once you have decided on the type of veggies you use, you must prepare them. If you have fresh veggies or pre-cut veggies, they need to be washed first. Give them a good cleaning in the colander and then continue to cutting them into their desired sizes. If you opted for frozen veggies, then make sure you let them thaw out first and then do this step so that they are easier to prepare.
2. Time to Saute
Grab your large soup pot, turn your burner onto medium high and add in your room temperature butter. Once it starts to melt down, add in your onions with some salt and pepper. It will take about five minutes for them to cooked down.
3. Flour Away
Mixing together the melted butter and flour, pour this mixture into the soup and begin stirring. Turn your burner down to medium and add in a little milk if the mix starts to get too hard. You only want to stir four about three minutes.
4. Bring in the Liquids
Once it reaches the desired consistency, finish adding in your milk to the soup until both cups are empty. It is time to start adding in your broth and turn the burner down to a simmer. Once it blends, you want to put the lid on the soup and let it cook slowly for about ten minutes.
5. Bring in the Veggies
Once the mixture has simmered together, it is time to add in the broccoli, carrots and celery to the soup. Cover the soup again and let ti simmer for at least 15 minutes this time, or until the veggies are tender.
6. Cheese, Please!
After checking the consistency of the veggies, add your cheddar cheese and let it melt into the soup. This will take about four minutes to cook and blend in together. During this time, you’ll want to add some salt and pepper to the soup so that it meets your consistency preferences.
7. It’s Time to Serve
Once your cheese has melted, ladle your soup into the bowls and then top them off with your favorite toppings. Additional cheddar cheese, bacon bits, and croutons are great additions to this soup and can elevate it. You can have some hot sauce handy for those who like a little more heat.
Store Your Soup
After your soup has cooled and you are ready to store your leftovers, make sure you put them in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for up to four days. You can reheat the soup into individual servings and use it for lunch meal preps, or reheat again for dinner the next night if you have enough leftovers.
Suppose you have a lot of leftovers that will last beyond that point. Go ahead and freeze the soup in sealed freezer bags and eat it within the next three months. When you go to cook the soup, give it a chance to thaw out first and then cook it on the stove slowly to let it warm evenly.
Pair Your Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup Recipe With These Options
Although you can enjoy this soup on its own as a meal, it is often enjoyed with one of the following to get that full flavor and make it a complete dish.
- House salad with ranch or honey mustard
- Toasted French baguette bread
- Club Sandwich
These are some of the options you can get at Panera if you order this soup, and they are also pretty hand to have at home when you want to replicate the entire meal.
When the weather is cold and you want to elevate the dish, add it to a bread bowl and enjoy this delicacy. This will heat up well and can be served with additional cheese on top and broiled to crisp up the bread.
Add Some Protein
Another tip to make this meal complete is to add in either shredded chicken or bacon bits if you are not practicing a vegetarian or vegan diet. Adding in this protein to the Panera broccoli cheddar soup recipe will make it a complete meal and great for meal prepping later on.
