Most Pinned Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is in Panera broccoli cheddar soup? ›

A bakery-cafe inspired favorite made with chopped broccoli, shredded carrots and select seasonings simmered in a velvety smooth cheese sauce. No artificial preservatives, sweeteners, flavors or colors from artificial sources.

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.

Add more cheese – The more cheese you add, the thicker your broccoli and cheese soup will be!

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.

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.

The common solution is to use a flour-based roux. Flour can thicken up the water phase of the soup, which in turn makes it difficult for fat globules to coalesce.

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.

Finally, it's possible that you didn't use enough fat. Soup needs some fat to smooth out the texture and help the ingredients bind together. If your soup is too lean, it will taste grainy.

Why does broccoli cheddar soup make my stomach hurt? ›

Can Broccoli Cause Stomach Pain? The very same fiber that's so beneficial for your digestive system can also be the cause of a broccoli-induced stomachache — think bloating, gas and cramps, Dr. Houghton says.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup is not only delicious but nutritious as well. Broccoli is loaded with vitamin C and K, potassium, and fiber, offering numerous health benefits like improved digestion, reduced inflammation, and boosted immunity.

Avoid too high of heat when using dairy (milk or cream) because the soup can curdle and separate. Try not to take it to the boiling point. Sometimes an acidic ingredient, like wine, can prevent the soup from curdling. Slowly add the cream or milk and continually stir after adding.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup Tips

Curdling in a cream soup usually occurs when the milk or cream is added at too high of a heat. As you incorporate the milk and broth into the cooked onion and flour mixture, keep the heat at medium and stir continuously with a whisk. Once all is mixed in, then proceed to heat to a boil.

Your soup may become grainy if the cheese or dairy curdles. With a recipe like the one that follow you shouldn't have trouble because the cheese is added as a finishing component, off heat. But to avoid “breaking” the dairy while reheating (or with other dairy-rich soups), take it low and slow.

One major complaint people have about the soup is that it is not vegetarian because it is made with chicken stock.

Contains Milk, Wheat

Please note that we cannot guarantee that any of our menu items are free of allergens because we use shared equipment and handle common allergens throughout our supply chain and bakery-cafe.

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