My Broccoli Cheddar Soup
If you are an avid recipe reader like I am, then you know that the internet is full of recipes that claim to be the “The Best” this or “The Best Ever” that. I’m sure the people who title their culinary creations this way truly believe their chocolate cake or their chicken casserole is “the best,” but taste in food is a pretty subjective business and my “best” may not be anywhere near your “best.” For example, if your best chili is a brothy runny affair, I will politely decline a bowl and instead dish up my own chili in all its thick and chucky splendor. Maybe it is not “the best,” but it is how I like it.
I found a recipe on the internet called, “The Best Panera Copy-Cat Broccoli Cheddar Soup.” That is quite a title. But there is more. My mother-in-law shared a recipe she had found called, “Better Than Panera Copy-Cat Broccoli Cheddar Soup.” I’m telling ya, recipe naming is serious business.
But if you peruse the handful of recipes I have posted here, you’ll notice that I tend to just call it what it is. The recipe I am going to share today is a combo of “The Best Panera Copy-Cat Broccoli Cheddar Soup” and “Better Than Panera Copy-Cat Broccoli Cheddar Soup.” I found both good but neither “best” or “better” so I tweaked and experimented, determined to find just the right thickness and creaminess, and finally—thanks to a secret ingredient that I will gladly share with you (so not that secret)—I made it just how I like it. Not necessarily “best” or “better,” but for sure “mine.”
Enjoy!
My Broccoli Cheddar Soup
A secret ingredient (cream cheese!) gives this soup the perfect amount of creaminess and just a bit of tang.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cups of carrots chopped into small rounds
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 4 cups broth
- 2 cups of whole milk
- 2 cups of heavy whipping cream
- 8 cups of chopped broccoli
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground mustard
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 8 oz block of cream cheese
- 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large stock pot.
- Sauté the onion and carrots for 4-5 minutes until beginning to brown.
- Stir in the flour until a paste forms.
- Slowly stir in broth, milk, and cream, whisking as you go.
- Add the broccoli and the five spices/ seasonings
- Set the burner to medium and let come to a slow simmer. Allow to simmer on medium/low for 20 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the soup has thickened slightly.
- Ladle out a few cups of mostly broth and put it in a blender with the block of cream cheese. Blend until smooth and then return the mixture to the pot.
- Add the cheddar cheese and stir all to combine. Let simmer on low until ready to serve.
