“I’m the first to admit I’m not much of a cook. But since soup mainly involves tossing everything in a pot and waiting, it’s one of my better dishes.” ― The Hunger Games
I’ve recently found a certain subcategory on Pinterest full of copycat restaurant recipes and I’m totally here for it. We used to live 10 minutes from our Panera on island but moved to the North Side, so it’s silly to drive for a soup I can make at home easily. I’m going to get to the recipe now, because people seem to hate when I ramble and then post the recipe. So I’ll save my love for soup rant for after.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup chopped white onions
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups chopped broccoli
- 2 cups American cheese Velveeta (yes the processed cheese)
- 4 cups veggie broth
- 1 cup carrots shredded
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Cholula
Instructions
- In your saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and onions. Stir for about a minute on medium heat.Then slowly add the cream, about 1/4 cup at a time, whisking until thickened and smooth. When all of the cream is incorporated, add the broccoli and processed cheese.
- When the cheese is melted, add the broth 1 cup at a time, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Add the carrots and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the cheddar cheese and cook for 10 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper and a hit of Cholula. Serve when all the cheese is fully melted and blended through.
I’ve blogged about my love for broccoli before, the kids actually love broccoli too. So this soup is such an easy weeknight meal for our entire family. Serve with a baguette, a side salad and call it a night!
I think you could easily make this soup vegan, with an oat milk swap and daiya cheese? Would you try it?
Some other amazing Panera Soup Dupes that I found on Pinterest! I cannot wait to try them all.
Panera Bread Creamy Tomato Soup Copycat
Copycat Panera Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
Copycat Panera Bread Tomato Soup Recipe
Crockpot Vegetarian Garden Vegetable Soup with Pesto
Did y’all know that there are whole Pinterest boards devoted to copycat recipes? Starbucks, Chilis, Chipotle, all of them. Could you imagine how much money I could have saved by making my own and staying off Uber Eats? This is totally my new 2020 goal, to save all the money and learn all of the Panera soup dupe recipes. Then I’m going to learn to make pho like my favorite Vietnamese restaurant. The Soup Season is my favorite.
Soup is a lot like a family. Each ingredient enhances the others; each batch has its own characteristics; and it needs time to simmer to reach full flavor. Marge Kennedy
