I love winter because I love soup! This recipe is my favorite Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup, it is a quarter of the cost than buying it at Panera!

I’m a sucker for a good soup! I mean I swear I think I could eat it every single day, especially when it is cold! I also love Panera Bread, but I find it to be a little pricey especially to take the whole family.

So, I wanted to figure out how to make Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup Bread Bowls a staple in our winter dinner recipes for a quarter of the cost!

After lots of trial and error, I have come up with the best Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheddar soup that my family loves to eat!

Copycat Panera Bread Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I love this Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheddar soup because of the fact that I usually have all the ingredients on hand for it! So that way if I need a quick weeknight dinner I just pull out the ingredients and start cooking!

• Serves 8
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes

Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• One small onion- chopped
• 2 cloves garlic – minced
• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup flour
• 2 cups milk
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups chopped broccoli
• 1 cup matchstick chopped carrots
• 2 stalks celery – chopped
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions for making Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup

• First, you want to melt 2 Tablespoons of butter in a large pan over medium heat. 
• Then, add the onion and cook until tender and transparent. Add garlic and cook for one additional minute. When finished cooking, remove from the pan and set aside. 

• In a large pot, (I love this one for soup) melt the ½ cup of butter in the pan and whisk in ½ cup of flour until thoroughly combined, for about one minute. 

• Once this becomes a roux, then slowly add the milk, stirring constantly. Mixture should be smooth and thick. 

• Next, add chicken broth, broccoli, carrots, celery, and cooked onions and garlic. Adding the broccoli, matchstick carrots and celery later in the recipe helps them keep a bit of their texture, so be sure to not add them in too soon. 

• Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for about 30 minutes or until the broccoli and carrots are tender.

• Remove from heat and add the cheese, salt, and pepper and stir until melted and evenly distributed.

• Place half of the soup in a blender and give a few quick pulses, then return to pan. You can skip the blender part if you are short on time, but pureeing some of the vegetable chunks really gives it that smooth Panera texture.

• Serve with a side of bread or in a bread bowl for a classic Panera style meal. 
• I usually serve this copycat Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup in bowls, but on special occasions, I drive to my nearest Panera Bread and by just the bread bowls! Oh yes, they sell just the bread bowls. Homemade soup in Panera Bread Bowls = Heaven on Earth!

Tips and Tricks for Making Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup

1. You can skip the blender part if you are short on time, but pureeing some of the vegetable chunks really gives it that smooth Panera texture.
2. Adding the broccoli, matchstick carrots and celery later in the recipe helps them keep a bit of their texture. 
3. You can adjust the sodium level of this recipe by using low sodium chicken broth and omitting the salt. 
4. Make sure to use matchstick carrots for this recipe to ensure they cook through. 

How did this recipe compare to Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup? Share in the comments!

Looking for more Great Recipes? Check out these favorites!

• Pumpkin Chili
• American Chop Suey
• Chop Suey
• Lemon Garlic Herb Shrimp

Yield: Serves 8

Copycat Panera Bread Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Print

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• One small onion- chopped
• 2 cloves garlic - minced
• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup flour
• 2 cups milk
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups chopped broccoli
• 1 cup matchstick chopped carrots
• 2 stalks celery - chopped
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Melt the 2 Tablespoons of butter in a large pan over medium heat. 
2. Add the onion and cook until tender and transparent. Add garlic and cook for one additional minute. When finished cooking, remove from the pan and set aside. 
3. Melt the ½ cup of butter in the pan and whisk in ½ cup of flour until thoroughly combined, for about one minute. 
4. Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly. Mixture should be smooth and thick. 
5. Add chicken broth, broccoli, carrots, celery and cooked onions and garlic. 
6. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for about 30 minutes or until the broccoli and carrots are tender.
7. Remove from heat and add the cheese, salt and pepper and stir until melted and evenly distributed.
8. Place half of the soup in a blender and give a few quick pulses, then return to pan. 
9. Serve with a side of bread or in a bread bowl for a classic Panera style meal. 

Notes

1. You can skip the blender part if you are short on time, but pureeing some of the vegetable chunks really gives it that smooth Panera texture.
2. Adding the broccoli, matchstick carrots and celery later in the recipe helps them keep a bit of their texture. 
3. You can adjust the sodium level of this recipe by using low sodium chicken broth and omitting the salt. 
4. Make sure to use matchstick carrots for this recipe to ensure they cook through.