Broccoli Cheddar Soup (Panera Bread Copycat Recipe) (2024)

FAQs

What are the ingredients in Panera broccoli cheddar soup? ›

Milk, Chicken Stock (Chicken Base [Chicken Meat Including Chicken Juices, Salt, Chicken Fat, Yeast Extract, Sugar, Natural Flavor, Potato Flour, Carrot Powder, Turmeric]), Water, Broccoli, Pasteurized Process Cheddar Cheese (Cheddar Cheese [Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes], Whey, Whey Protein ...

Flour: This broccoli Cheddar soup starts with a roux made with all-purpose flour and butter. Milk: A cup of milk is whisked into the roux, creating a rich and velvety soup. Stock: Use store-bought or homemade chicken stock. Vegetables: You'll need an onion, carrots, celery, and (of course) broccoli.

Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe Tips

Pre-shredded cheese is often coated in anti-caking agents that can prevent the cheese from melting into a lusciously creamy soup. To ensure that your broccoli cheddar soup has the best smooth and creamy texture, buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself.

If heated too high, you risk clumping and if too low, not melting properly. With soup, you might be able to fix it with an immersion blender, or you might not. At a temperature of 150 or so, the protein bonds in the cheese break down and as a result, too much fo the moisture escapes too quickly.

Broccoli is rarely a bad idea, since this veggie contains fiber, vitamins, and compounds that can lower your risk of cancer. But things head in a surprisingly poor nutritional direction with the Broccoli Cheddar Soup at Panera. Besides its 11 grams of saturated fat, this soup is suffused with sodium.

That Soup Isn't Made In-House

It may taste homemade, but that Panera soup wasn't actually prepared by the workers at your local shop. "The soups are made at a factory/plant/etc., flash-frozen, shipped to us, and we thaw it out in what's called a thermalizer, essentially a soup-thawer," says one former employee.

Is broccoli soup good for you? Most of the time, broccoli cheese soup isn't the healthiest option since it has lots of cheese and heavy cream. This version is lightened up with evaporated skim milk and less cheese. It also uses extra vegetables that are blended to create some of the creaminess in the soup.

The broccoli-cheddar soup served at Panera is not vegetarian. It is listed as such in the menu that is displayed in every bakery-café. Basically, the soup has a beef base to give it flavor and add substance to the soup itself.

Broccoli is loaded with vitamin C and K, potassium, and fiber, offering numerous health benefits like improved digestion, reduced inflammation, and boosted immunity. Cheddar cheese, provides a good dose of protein, calcium, and other essential minerals.

Mild cheddar, Colby, Monterey jack, mozzarella, Swiss and queso blanco can all work well. “The best cheeses to melt into soups are cheeses that are higher in moisture and have a lower melting point,” says Bauer. In addition to cheddar and Monterey jack, he recommends Fontina and Gruyère.

Can you use pre shredded cheese in soup? ›

Avoid using pre-packaged shredded cheese as it often contains additives that can prevent proper melting. Add the cheese at the right time: Timing is crucial when it comes to melting cheese in soup. Wait until the soup is almost done cooking before adding the cheese.

Add more cheese

One of the easiest ways to thicken up your broccoli cheddar soup is by adding more cheese. The cheese not only enhances the flavor but also contributes to a thicker texture. Consider adding extra sharp cheddar or even some Gruyere cheese for an extra depth of flavor.

Broccoli also can be the culprit behind a slew of stomach-related symptoms. Not only does the veggie — or more specifically, the intestinal bacteria that breaks the fibrous content down — cause gas, but that gas can actually be painful, too. Because the gas expands the intestines, its lining and walls become stretched.

You end up with a grainy, curdled consistency. Unfortunately there is no way to fix it once it's happened, so just be really careful to keep this soup on a very low flame once the dairy has gone in. If the soup remains hot and steamy, without boiling, it will stay beautifully silky and creamy.

Why is Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup not vegetarian? Panera makes their traditional version with chicken stock, making the soup neither vegetarian or vegan.

Contains: milk and wheat.

Our Food Beliefs serve as a compass, helping us provide meals that are delicious, and made with high-quality, select ingredients. Clean Foods - Clean simply means we don't fill our pantry with the artificial preservatives, sweeteners, flavors, and colors from artificial sources that are listed on our No No List.