30 Minute Vegetarian Broccoli Cheddar Soup {Panera Copycat}

Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup is probably one of the most sought after copycat recipes. Rightfully so, because it is everything that is good in the world - thick, creamy, cheesiness, with the right amount of health from green broccoli. The best part is that this vegetarian broccoli cheddar soup is that it's easy, ready in just 30 minutes, and just as delicious to make at home! Paired with homemade cheddar scallion biscuits, you are ready for the ultimate comfort meal.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love This Recipe
• Recipe Overview
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Tips and Tricks
• Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup
• 💬 Comments

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• It tastes just like the Panera original! This broccoli cheddar soup will remind you of the restaurant classic, except you control what goes into it!
• You can make lighter changes, depending on any special diets. You can use heavy cream, or lighter cream, to your taste.
• It's a GREAT way to get the kids to eat their veggies. You might be bribing them with cheese, but that's not important.

Recipe Overview

• Flavour: The flavour of this soup is nostalgic as ever. Think of your favourite cream of broccoli soup, with the added indulgence of cheesy goodness. I like to add some extra black pepper and thyme to the soup, which regular Panera broccoli cheddar soup does not have.
• Ease: This soup is a one pot meal. The hardest part about this soup is chopping up the broccoli. Because I like to a chunkier soup, I do not blend this one down. That means its a dump, simmer and enjoy kind of meal! You can of course go in with an immersion blender, adding a negligible amount of time.
• Time: Believe it or not, this is a weeknight friendly broccoli cheddar soup recipe. From start to finish, this soup takes about 35 minutes to be ready. Not bad for a bowl of comfort, am I right?

Ingredients

• All purpose flour
• Butter
• Vegetable broth
• Half and half cream
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Dried mustard
• Nutmeg
• Cheddar cheese
• Broccoli
• Shredded carrots

Instructions

1. Prepare the roux: In a large pot on medium heat, melt your butter. Once the butter is melted, add in the flour and continue to stir to cook through the flour. This should take 1-2 minutes.
2. Add the Vegetables: Add the chicken broth to the pot, stirring well to incorporate the flour mixture. Add the broccoli and shredded carrots, and let it simmer over medium heat until the broccoli is tender.
3. Finish the soup: Add in the cream, and spices to the mix. Stir well. Slowly add in the cheese, stirring and combining well after adding in each portion is added to the soup.

Tips and Tricks

• Avoid pre-shredded cheese: pre-shredded cheese does not melt the same as cheese that is freshly grated. This is because pre-shredded cheese is coated in anti-caking agents. This will change the texture of your soup.
• The heat of your stove is everything: Have you ever made a recipe with cream and cheese, and ended up with a separated mess? High heat will do that! Keep the heat low once you add the cream and cheese to the mix.
• For a smoother soup, take out a cup, and blend: If you like a more varied texture, you can take out one cup and blend, or use an immersion blender to roughly blend the soup.

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