Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup

This soup is a fall and winter staple at our house.  In fact, I posted about it in my first blog post ever.  I am reluctant to do this but here is the link: Number One.  Please refrain from laughing/judging.  I had no idea what I was doing! Umm, I still don't.

Anyway, this soup is pretty stinking close to the real deal.  I found it ions ago (aka probably 3 years ago) in the Food Network Magazine.  I thought it was worth a try and we have been slurping it up ever since.  

As many good things start...this one does with butter.

Chop up a small onion while your butter melts.

Add the onions to the melted butter.  Let these cook for about three minutes or until they become translucent. 

Add in the flour

And stir it around to coat all of the onions.  Cook the "flour taste" out of the flour for about two minutes as well.  Keep stirring, you don't want that to stick to the bottom of the pot.  Talk about a mess...

Pour in the half and half

And chicken stalk.

Then the seasonings.  A few bay leaves, black pepper, salt (not pictured because it sunk) and nutmeg--the secret ingredient.  Anyone else say that like the guy on Iron Chef?  No? Okay, moving on...Let this simmer for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare your broccoli.  Clean it and cut it into small florets.

Prep the carrots as well.  Peel and slice into bite sized discs.

After 20 minutes, add the broccoli

And carrots.  

Let this simmer for another 15-20 minutes depending on how you like your veggies.  I'm not a fan of soggy soup veggies so I was closer to the 15 minutes.  Do what you like.

Meanwhile, grate some cheese.  Yeah, I know, this isn't sharp cheddar cheese.  I totally thought I had some in my fridge...turns out it was of the speckled variety...oh well.

After the veggies are cooked to your taste, remove the bay leaves...all of them.

This step is optional but I like to do it.  Remove half of the veggies into a bowl

And blend the heck out of the remaining soup.  If you don't have one of these handy immersion blenders, just pour the remaining soup (probably in batches) into a blender.  It serves the same purpose...If you want a totally chunky soup, skip this step completely.  I won't judge.

Add the whole veggies back to the pot

And toss in the grated cheese.

Stir and heat all the way through.

Ladle into bowls.

And dig in.

That is a bite of broccoli cheese deliciousness.

Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup

6 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, diced
1/4 flour
2 cups half and half (fat free is okay but the consistency is a little different--it still tastes good)
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
3 bay leaves
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups fresh broccoli, cut into small florets
1 cup carrots, cut into bite sized discs
2 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese + additional for topping


Start by melting the butter in a large pot.  Add the onions and saute until translucent. Add the flour and cook for about 2 minutes to get the floury taste out.  Pour in the half and half and chicken broth.  Add the bay leaves, nutmeg, salt and pepper.  Let this simmer on low, covered for about 20 minutes.

After twenty minutes, add the broccoli and carrots.  Let this simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes or until they have reached your desired doneness.

After the veggies have cooked, remove half of them into a different bowl.  Using an immersion blender or regular blender working in batches, blend the veggies until smooth.  Return the whole veggies into the pot.

Add the cheese and heat through.  If the soup is too thick, add additional chicken broth.

Sprinkle and serve with cheese on the top.

Enjoy!

Recipe slightly adapted from: Food Network.com

Chili Lime Chicken Burgers, A Trader Joe's Copycat

Happy long weekend, yo.  I know it is coming to an end but don't you want to go out with a bang?  These will do it.  A huge bang, a flavorful punch in in the mouth if you will.  With just a few ingredients you can whip up a batch of these bad boys an impress even the biggest chicken burger skeptics.  

Watch out Trader Joe's we might be putting you out of business.  Well, hopefully not, we still love you.  Xoxo.  

Musical Selection: Moth's Wings by: Passion Pit.  Note that I moved the Cooking Tunes to the right sidebar.  If you don't want to jam (or if you are reading at work--I won't tell) just click pause. 

 You will need one pound of ground chicken.

 A few green onions

 Some pretty cilantro

 Chop it up and pop it in the bowl

 Some season all salt

 Black pepper

 A few shakes of red pepper flakes--more or less depending on how spicy you want these bad boys

 Half the juice of a lime

 That's it--smash it all together

Form into patties

 Spray each side with cooking spray

 On to the grill they go a few minutes on each side

 Top with pepper jack cheese for a little more spice

 Melted.

Umm yeah, flavor town.  I was really surprised how juicy these stayed they really were fantastic.  A little mayo on the bun is all they needed although crisp lettuce would be a fantastic addition as well.  We added them to our grilling rotation.  

Chili Lime Chicken Burgers

Makes 4 burgers

1 lb ground chicken

2 green onions, diced

1/2 of a red pepper, diced small

1 tablespoon cilantro, minced

1/2 teaspoon season all salt

A few grinds of black pepper

Juice of 1/2 a lime 

Pepper Jack cheese

Buns for serving

Mayo (we used light Miracle Whip) for serving 

In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, onion, red pepper, cilantro, season all salt, pepper and lime juice.   Form into 4 patties and spray each side with cooking spray so they don't stick. 

Preheat the grill to about 500 degrees.  Place the burgers on the hottest part of the grill.  Grill for 3 minutes.  Turn the grill down to medium high heat and flip the burgers to a cooler part of the grill.  Grill for an additional 5 minutes.  In the last minute of grilling, add the cheese to melt.  Before taking off the grill be sure to check the internal temperature or that they are no longer pink in the middle.  

Serve on buns with Mayo/Miracle Whip.  Enjoy!  

Recipe by: Mrs. Schwartz