Recipe: Broccoli Cheese Soup – Tastes Just Like Panera!
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The nights here have begun feeling like fall, and what says fall more than soup? I start looking for new soups to try at this time of the year. All of my kids (even the ones who don’t like broccoli) love this soup. I could make this every week without complaint.
If you haven’t tried it yet, I can almost guarantee that it will be a big hit!
You will need:
- 1 medium onion
- 6 carrots, shredded
- 1/2 cup of butter, divided
- 2 16 ounce packages of frozen broccoli
- 4 chicken bullion cubes
- 4 cups water
- 1/4 cup flour
- 4 cups whole milk
- 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese, I like sharp, and, I shred my own cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
First, melt 1/4 cup of the butter in a large pan. Add onions to sweat out a bit. Then shred your carrots (my food processor is my right hand man so to speak) and add them in to also cook down. Leave these things in the pan maybe 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. Then add frozen broccoli. Leave this for another 15 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.
At this point, I transfer this all to my crock pot, because a crock pot is a frugal gal’s best friend. Add 4 cups of water, the bullion cubes, a bit of salt and pepper, and then cook on low until about an hour before you want to eat dinner.
About an hour from mealtime, melt remaining 1/2 cup butter in a larger pan, add 1/2 cup of flour and combine with whisk, making a roux. Cook down a couple of minutes, stirring constantly, add in the milk. Allow to cook on medium low until it starts to thicken a bit. This can take awhile, maybe 20 minutes or so.
After thickening, add into mixture in crock pot. Add the shredded cheese. Cook to combine for 15 minutes. You can serve it at this point, or sometimes I use my immersion blender to it up a bit. I have kids who like it both ways, so I alternate ways. Enjoy!
