Dip into a warm bowl of comforting Broccoli Cheddar Soup with this easy 30 minute recipe! If you love Panera's version of this soup, then you're really going to love this recipe, because it's even better than the restaurant favorite. This soup is creamy, cheesy and so delicious. It's a comfort food meal that the entire family will love!
Melt butter in a large pot on the stove over medium-high heat.
Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes, add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
Sprinkle the cornstarch over the onions and garlic and stir to combine until browned, 1-2 minutes.
Pour the chicken broth into the pot and stir to combine everything.
Season with the hot sauce, salt, pepper, paprika and mustard powder, stir to combine.
Add the broccoli (and optional julienned carrots, if adding them) and bring the liquid to a boil.
Once boiling, cover the pot with a lid, reduce the heat on the stove to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes.
Remove the lid after 15 minutes and stir in the half and half and shredded cheddar cheese.
Stir until the cheese has melted and the soup is smooth and creamy.
Serve immediately.
Notes
Julienned carrots (optional addition) – if you want to make an exact copycat of Panera’s broccoli cheddar soup, you’ll want to mix in 1/2 cup julienned carrots with the broccoli. I’m not a huge fan of the carrots in the soup, so I leave them out. Just a personal preference, feel free to make it either way!
To serve the soup in a bread bowl - head to the bakery section at your grocery store and look for a sourdough “mini boule or baby boule”. Cut a round hole, 3-4 inches wide, in the middle of the bread, being careful not to cut through to the bottom of the loaf. Remove the middle piece of bread. Place the bread bowl in the oven at 375°F for 10 minutes to heat it up, then ladle the soup right into the hole in the middle of the bread.
If you really love broccoli, feel free to throw in an extra cup of florets. You can also add a cup of cauliflower florets to mix up the veggies in the soup.
If you’d like to add a protein to the soup, add 1 cup of cooked, shredded chicken when adding the broccoli. This can be chicken pulled from a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, or you can use this easy recipe for Instant Pot Shredded Chicken.
This recipe is naturally gluten free using the ingredients shown above, and listed in this recipe.
To make this recipe vegetarian, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
Store any leftover soup in the refrigerator, in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat the soup in a microwave-safe container in the microwave for 2 minutes. Or reheat it in a pot on the stove over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.