Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Chopped broccoli florets, shredded carrots and sweet onion simmered in a smooth and creamy cheese sauce. Tastes exactly like your favorite broccoli cheddar soup from Panera!  

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you had a fabulous weekend. On Saturday we went over to my brother and sister in law’s for dinner and to see our little niece. We hadn’t seen her in over three months so it was long overdue! She’s six months old and so adorable. My sister in law made hamburgers, mac n’ cheese and grilled corn on the cob and it was delicious! She even grilled pineapple slices to add to the burger — never thought of that before! 

Sunday was spent grocery shopping and recipe testing — French bread, tortilla rolls, and this delicious broccoli cheddar soup! It’s broccoli, carrots and yellow onion simmered in a creamy broth and tastes just like Panera’s.  

The base is made by making a roux with butter, flour, half and half and chicken broth. This is simmered for about ten minutes and it gets really thick and creamy. I keep three jars of Better Than Bouillon in the fridge– chicken, vegetable and beef. It’s so convenient when you just need 1-2 cups of broth at a time and don’t need to open an entire 32oz carton or 14oz can. One teaspoon of the concentrate = 1 cup of broth. 

Once the base is made and is left to simmer for about ten minutes, the broccoli, carrots and onion is added. These simmer for a little bit longer until they’re soft. The soup is very thick — it should cling to your spoon. Especially once you stir in the six ounces of shredded cheddar cheese! Melts right in and adds a wonderful cheesy flavor. 

I made the French bread in these pictures! I’ve been experimenting with making homemade French bread and this batch turned out amazing. It’s so easy (having a bread machine make the dough simplifies it) and really only takes about 15 minutes of actual hands-on work. Simple ingredients, too. Just flour, water, sugar and salt. 

Keep an eye out next week for the French bread recipe! In the meantime, whip up a batch of this creamy, savory soup. It’s perfect for lunch along with the bread and a piece of fruit. 


Here’s the recipe for Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup: 

Emily Weeks, RDN, LD

Hi! I’m Emily, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and self-taught intuitive chef. I firmly believe that cooking is the simplest and most important step we can take to improve our minds and bodies and build healthier communities. Join me and let’s bring food back to the kitchen!