Broccoli Cheese Soup
Made this yesterday, and it turned out to be very good. It's a copycat recipe from Panera Bread. Usually my broccoli soups are pureed, but this time I decided to try something new, thus using this recipe. The broccoli and carrots are chopped vegetables in the cream-based soup. I made a few changes to make it a little healthier:
Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup
1 tablespoon melted butter
• ½ medium chopped onion (I doubled the onion)
• ¼ cup melted butter (used 3 T of butter instead)
• ¼ cup flour
• 2 cups half-and-half cream (1 c. half-and-half)
• 2 cups chicken stock (upped the chicken stock to 3 cups)
• ½ lb fresh broccoli (about 1 cup) (used 2 c broccoli)
• 1 cup carrot, julienned
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese (used Muenster cheese instead)
• salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Saute the onion in 1 tablespoon melted butter and set aside. In a large pot whisk together the melted butter and flour over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes.
2. Slowly whisk in the half and half and chicken stock. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes.
3. Add the broccoli, carrots, and onions. Let them simmer on medium low for about 25 minutes until the broccoli and carrots are tender.
4. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper and sharp cheddar cheese. Let the cheese melt and then serve. For a smoother soup puree it in a blender... but I love the chunks!
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Cher
= new reply since forum marked as read
I'm saving this one, fer sher.
I never had broccoli cheese soup until I went back to college and lived on campus in Wyoming (1992?). The cafeteria had the best soup (OK, how can I say the "best" when it was my first bowl?). I was hooked on this soup. Admittedly, since it was a cafeteria, they must have used Velveeta. 
when I was searching for broccoli soup recipes, a couple places recommended Velveeta as the cheese!
Cher
The best way to get your veggies and also to have protein, but keep it the minimum requirement.
They are quick to re-heat, so if you make some on the weekend, there you are--a quick lunch during the week. A bonus is that their taste often improves after a day or so.
In addition, they are easy to change--add some ravioli, make a pistou, top with parmesan, or add some herbs.
Soups are a mainstay for me from fall through late spring.
I just checked my Calibre for soup cookbooks and found I have these titles:
SoupDay
Soup
A Beautiful Bowl of Soup
50 Simple Soups for the Slow Cooker
Sunday Soup
The Soup Bible
The Soup Sisters Cookbook
New England Soup Factory Cookbook
Awesome Soup Delights
and the Soupbox Cookbook
It would be hard to say which is my favorite, but I find myself using The Soupbox Cookbook frequently.
Cher
