Not everyone likes Panera, but I sure do!  Especially their soups… I haven’t tried one yet that I haven’t liked loved.  Broccoli cheddar soup is one of my absolute favorites.  All the flavors just meld together and make me happy.  One of my other favorite things is to find and come up with copycat recipes.  I’m all for going out to eat a restaurant… the atmosphere is usually great, and honestly, sometimes it’s just flat out nice to be waited on for a change.  Want more iced tea?  No need to get up, just ask and it’ll be brought to you.  Sounds great huh? Of course, that level of indulgence comes with a price, and the tip is not included.  Ugh… the downside is a lighter wallet.  Which is no bueno.  But there’s a fix… try to make your own versions of your favorite restaurant foods  It can be daunting, but there are TONS of copycat recipes out there, whole sites dedicated to only copycat recipes.  Use them as your inspiration!  Jump in there and try one of them, if it’s not quite up to par, try to figure out what you could do to tweak it.  This broccoli cheddar soup is so delicious, in my opinion, but by all means, feel free to tweak it until your heart’s content  After all, I’m not going to be the one eating it, you are.. so make it your own Try it with these delicious Bread Bowls  Broccoli Cheddar Soup - Copycat Recipe   Print Prep time 5 mins Cook time 45 mins Total time 50 mins   Like your favorite soup from Panera Bread, but you can make it whenever you want it! Author: The Chunky Chef Recipe type: Soup, Entree Cuisine: American Serves: 4 servings Ingredients 1 Tbsp butter ½ medium yellow onion chopped ¼ cup butter ¼ cup flour 2 cups half and half 2 cups chicken stock 1½ - 2 cups fresh broccoli chopped 1 cup carrot chopped ¼ tsp paprika ¼ tsp garlic powder ¼ tsp dry mustard 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded salt and pepper to taste Instructions Melt 1 Tbsp of butter over medium heat, saute the onion and set aside. Add ¼ cup butter, melt, then add ¼ cup of flour and whisk together over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes. Slowly whisk in the half and half and chicken stock. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes. If you don't have half and half or wanted to try regular milk, I think that would probably work too. Add the broccoli, carrots, and sauteed onions. Let them simmer on medium low for about 25 minutes until the broccoli and carrots are tender. Add paprika, garlic powder ground dry mustard, salt and pepper and sharp cheddar cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. If you like a smoother soup, transfer to food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe 3.2.2885   Recipe adapted from The Recipe Critic