Do you have a favorite soup recipe? As far as soup goes as a standalone dinner dish, I think we can all agree that it’s pretty underrated. We may only think to eat soup if we need to get our fluids up—like chicken noodle soup for when we have the flu, for example. Or we use it as a side with our grilled cheese sandwich in the case of tomato soup. Still, there are plenty of soups that are hearty and delicious enough to be the star of the meal—and this recipe is one of them.
As anyone who’s ever been to a Panera Bread knows, broccoli cheddar soup is absolutely amazing when done correctly. Although it may seem like a tricky soup to pull off or that it’ll need extra ingredients, this one is actually very straightforward. Follow our guide and you’ll be sipping a bowl of it in no time.
Here’s what you need:
- 4 cups of broccoli florets
- 2 1/2 cups of grated cheddar cheese
- 2 1/2 cups of chicken stock
- 2 cups of half-and-half
- 1/4 cup of unsalted butter, divided
- 2 cloves of minced garlic
- 1/2 of a yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
- salt
- pepper
Here’s what you do:
1. First, get a medium pan going over medium-high heat. Start by throwing in a tablespoon of butter and sautéing your onions and garlic. Keep going until everything the onions turn translucent and everything in the pan softens.
2. After that, get a large pot and throw in the rest of your butter with flour, whisking it to create a roux. Work those ingredients together for about three to four minutes until it gets pasty and thick. After that, throw in your half-and-half along with the chicken stock and let it all simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Next, add your onions and garlic along with broccoli and nutmeg to the mixture and keep simmering it for another 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let it sit over the heat until the entire mixture thickens.
4. Finally, stir in your grated cheddar cheese until it melts and give the entire thing a taste. Add in salt an pepper as necessary and you’re ready to serve!
Although the above recipe results in a very delicious soup, it will still have chunks of different ingredients in it and thus won’t be exactly the same as restaurant quality. Fortunately, there’s an easy way to fix it at this stage! After you’re done cooking the soup with the instructions above, simply pour it into a blender and puree it until it’s all smooth to get any chunks and lumps out. The result will be a creamy and delicious meal just like you’re used to having when you eat out.
Though the above recipe is solid, you can also get a little creative with this by adding in some other vegetables if you’d like. Potatoes or squash would also blend well into this if you were so inclined. On the other hand, you can experiment with what kind of cheddar you put in as well for a stronger or milder flavor. Above all, serve with a nice hunk of bread and enjoy!
Have you tried this recipe out yourself? Let us know how it went in the comments.
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