Tag Archive | nutmeg

Crock Pot Copycat Panera Bread Broccoli Cheddar Soup

broccolibowl
As soon as the leaves start to turn and that delicious crisp bites the air I start dreaming of soups, stews, and chilis. A number of years ago, my best friend and I got together and craved some Panera Bread Broccoli Cheddar soup but wanted to make it at home. We scoured the internet for recipes and found one that sounded great so we gave it a whirl. The recipe was full of heavy cream and butter so we trimmed it down and crossed our fingers. We were both shocked and delighted at the result: Amazing Panera Bread Broccoli Cheddar Soup that was every bit as good as from the restaurant. We’ve both made our recipe many times over the years, sharing it often with friends and family. More recently, I wanted to change the recipe again, this time making it a no-fuss crock pot version. This version is just as bit as good and makes life so much simpler by dumping everything in and setting the crock pot on low. You come home to a delicious pot of home made Broccoli Cheddar soup, without the extra calories or the bill! You can still accept tips from your family, though. 🙂

Crock Pot Copycat Panera Bread Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Serves 4-6

***This is a GREAT “dump in the crock pot and run out the door” recipe. When making this recipe, I will often buy shredded carrots and bagged pre-cut fresh broccoli florets to make this recipe even quicker and save on chopping.***

  • 1/2 lb (about 3-4 cups) fresh broccoli, roughly chopped
  • 1 small onion, roughly chopped
  • 3 medium carrots, roughly chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 pint (2 cups) fat-free half-and-half (If you really want the real thing, go for it, but fat-free tastes just as good in this recipe and that means you can go back for seconds!)
  • 16 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions: 

1. Place the broccoli, onion, carrot, and garlic in the bottom of a large crockpot. Pour chicken stock over the veggies. Add the nutmeg, salt, and pepper and stir.

broccolisoupincrockpot

2. Set the crock pot to LOW and cook for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours.

broccolisoup

3. Cream the soup. The easiest way is with an immersion blender but you can also transfer to a blender and then transfer back to the crock pot. If you prefer a more chunky soup, you can also use a potato masher so don’t let not having a blender or immersion blender stop you. You are dealing with hot liquids so be careful!

creamsoup

4. Immediately prior to serving, add the half-and-half and shredded cheese and stir. Allow the cheese to melt and garnish with extra cheese and serve. Yum! My family loves this recipe paired alongside my garlic knots or honey wheat crescent rolls or served inside a bread bowl.

broccolibowl2

Looking for other great copycat or crock pot recipes? Be sure to subscribe to my blog for the latest recipes or see a few of my favorite previously published fall and winter recipes below:

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bars

Plated Pumpkin BarsAs soon as the air starts to get crisp and the leaves start to turn, I start dreaming of my favorite fall recipes; hearty soups and stews, apple cider, and wedges of these gloriously amazing pumpkin bars. What makes these bars extra special is that they a cross between a pumpkin cake and a pumpkin pie. These pumpkin bars are so good that they were once heroically saved during a fire that accidentally ignited while I was camping in Yellowstone National Park with friends. Everyone was scrambling to put out the fire but several of the guys screamed for us to save the pumpkin bars, something we still laugh about to this day. As the guys put it afterward, “Thankfully, no pumpkin bars were harmed in the fire.” I hope you enjoy these as much as my family does.

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bars

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup cinnamon applesauce
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans pumpkin
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Frosting:

  • 8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, softened
  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 3 cups powdered sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Beat the eggs and sugar together for several minutes until nicely whipped and creamy.

creamed egg and sugar

Add the applesauce, pumpkin, and vanilla and beat until well incorporated.

Added pumpkin

Gradually add the flour and the rest of the dry ingredients until well blended.

finished mixture

3. Pour batter into a greased jelly roll or sheet pan (15×10″).

Batter in pan

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a fork comes out clean. If you don’t have a jelly roll or sheet pan or you prefer thicker bars, you can also bake in a 9×13″ for 25-30 minutes.

Pumpkin bars baked

***Allow bars to cool completely before frosting.***

4. Frosting: Whip together the cream cheese and butter. Add the vanilla and lemon juice. Gradually whip in the powdered sugar and beat until the mixture is a thick frosting.

Combined frosting

5. Frost the cooled bars and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Plated Pumpkin Bars