Broccoli and Cheese Soup

One of mine and the girls' favorite foods is broccoli cheese soup from Panera Bread. Since we live out in the boonies, driving into town to Panera is out of the way and costly. Beyond that, the soup, though delicious, is also expensive. So, I began a quest to find a soup recipe to fulfil our craving.

My go to spot to search for recipes is allrecipes.com. I generally read all the comments posted with the recipe to see what about the recipe worked and what didn't. One of the comments on the following recipe said that it is the closest to Panera's they had ever made. Good enough for me. Let's try it.

I must mention right away that I did not purchase Panera's yummy baguette to accompany our soup. The kids LOVE to dip bread into the soup. I just bought a plain loaf of crusty french bread from the store. Next time I might just splurge on some loaves from Panera and keep them in the freezer. I honestly think it makes a difference.

I must also mention that although the soup was yummy, it had too much Velveeta in it. I would definitely recommend playing around with the amount. I would also suggest adding some cauliflower.

Here's the recipe we tried:
1 onion, chopped
6 Tbls. butter (recipe says margarine, but I prefer the real stuff)
1/3 c. all purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups milk

In a large (really large because this is the pan that will hold the finished product) saucepan on medium high heat (on my stove top this setting was a little high), saute the onions in the butter until tender. Add the flour and salt and pepper to taste. Mix until smooth and let cook for just a minute. Slowly add the milk stirring with a whisk until mixture is thick and bubbly.

3 c. chicken broth
1 carrot, shredded (I used 2)
1 c. broccoli florets (I used fresh)
1/2 c. chopped celery
1 pound processed cheese food (Velveeta - I used the lower fat kind), cubed

Meanwhile, in a smaller saucepan bring the broth to a boil. Add the carrot, celery, and broccoli. Cook about 5 minutes until veggies are tender. Combine the broth mixture (slowly) into the thickened milk mixture using a whisk.

Add the cheese. Allow soup to heat over low heat until the cheese is melted. IMPORTANT: DO NOT let the soup boil once the cheese is added. The cheese will curdle in the soup.