Yeah, we’re all about outdoor cooking here at Smoke Insider but it’s soup season and there’s no reason we can’t do both. Right? I mean, seriously. Who doesn’t love a good soup? So, we’re starting an ongoing Soup Series to highlight some of our favorite recipes that we keep in the rotation in our home. My wife absolutely LOVES soups of all kinds. From Italian Gnocchi to Sausage with Kale and everything in between. Her absolute favorite is the rich, Mexican favorite Pozole. That’s a recipe for another day, however.
Today, we’re going to take a look at a fan favorite for many households. Yup, Broccoli Cheddar but not just any old cheese and broccoli dipper. We’re going to make a copycat of what is likely one of Panera Breads most popular menu items. If you love rich, creamy broccoli and cheddar soup, you no doubt have given Panera’s a try. The good news is, you can make this soup at home in under an hour and I’d argue that it’s better than the original.
Another great thing about this recipe is that it is all made in one pot which means less mess and that’s a big deal when you’re rushing to get a meal together for the family on those busy weeknights. Did I mention this recipe is super cheap? Yeah, well, you can expect to pay up to $9 for a bowl of Panera Bread’s broccoli cheddar. I dare to say you could make this pot of soup for under ten bucks if you play your cards right. I used Tillamook cheese for this batch so it was probably closer to $17 but still, it easily feeds a family of four and is, did I mention, so easy to make.
Let’s get started. First, grab a large soup pot, stock pot or Dutch oven. Next, gather the ingredient list below. You’ll want everything prepped and ready. As I mentioned, this is a quick recipe. You don’t want your base overcooking because you didn’t prep ahead of time.
Ingredients
Feel free to substitute here and there if there’s something you don’t have or an ingredient you prefer over what I have here. that said, the list above will give you a soup that’s very similar(but better) than Panera Bread’s. For the cheese, you can use sharp, extra sharp or even mild cheddar but whatever you do, DO NOT BUY PRE-SHREDDED!! Most pre-shredded cheeses contain anti-caking agents like potato or corn starch and they will cause your soup to clump and end up generally not good eats. I warned you.
We only use unsalted butter in our house when cooking. That’s because I’d rather use low sodium ingredients so I can season to taste and control the amount of salt I use. For that reason, I also use low sodium chicken stock in this soup. You don’t have to but keep in mind, cheddar cheese is very salty. As a matter of fact, you could omit the Kosher salt in the soup if you really wanted to limit the sodium. Okay, moving on.
In your pot on medium-high heat, melt the 1/4 cup(half stick) of butter. When fully melted, add the onions, carrots and broccoli. Toss in the butter and saute for roughly five minutes or until the veggies have softened.
Reduce heat to medium-low and add the chicken broth/stock, milk and heavy cream. Stir to combine. Sprinkle on the flour and stir until smooth. Add the salt, pepper and red pepper flakes(Not everyone likes the kick of red pepper. You can always add this to the individual servings at the end). Let the mixture simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Keep an eye on your heat. Every stove top is different. You want the base to simmer and thicken but not get hot enough to scald the dairy.
Once the base has thickened, add your cheese a little at a time. Stir until melted then repeat with the remaining cheese. That’s it. Your from scratch broccoli cheddar soup is ready to serve. I like to turn it on low and let the flavors meld for a bit before serving with a side of French baguette straight from the oven.
If you love Panera Bread’s broccoli cheddar, this one should be on a regular rotation, especially during the winter months. It’s cheap, easy to make and it’s the perfect comfort food for those cold nights when you don’t have time to spend hours in the kitchen. ENJOY!!
What soup should we do next? Hit us up on Facebook and let us know your favorite soup and we’ll give it a go.
