Broccoli Cheese Soup

I absolutely love Panera Bread's Broccoli Cheese soup but we don't have a Panera here, so I found a knock-off recipe. I have to say, if I had an authentic bowl and a bowl of the impostor side by side I wouldn't be able to tell one from the other. The prep time is very long so I wouldn't recommend tackling this on a weeknight. We served ours with homemade bread bowls, yum!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 medium chopped onion
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half-and-half cream
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 lb fresh broccoli
1 cup carrot, julienned
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

Directions:

Sauté onion in butter. Set aside.

Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and add the half & half.

Add the chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat 20-25 minutes.

Add salt and pepper. Can be puréed in a blender but I don't. Return to heat and add cheese. Stir in nutmeg.

recipe from Food.com