Easy Cheddar Broccoli Soup!

The Type A Lady cannot cook.  At least that’s what I tell Church Ladies who want me to whip up potluck items.  Cmon…assign me the bread order, people.

BUT – I’m “Nesting” here in NYC with my children and their new baby.  This is inspiration to try to cook…sooooo – Here I GOOOO!

Special thanks to allrecipes.com for this recipe. 

I even managed to make everything from scratch, including the chicken broth.
(Don’t get your hopes up, Church Ladies!) Copycat Panera (R) Broccoli Cheddar Soup 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• ½ onion, chopped 
• ¼ cup melted butter
• ¼ cup flour
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 ½ cups coarsely chopped broccoli florets
• 1 cup matchstick-cut carrots
• 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced 
• 2 ½ cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions

• Step 1 Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion in hot butter until translucent, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Step 2 Whisk 1/4 cup melted butter and flour together in a large saucepan over medium-low heat; cook until flour loses it’s granular texture, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk if necessary to keep the flour from burning, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Step 3 Gradually pour milk into flour mixture while whisking constantly. Stir chicken stock into milk mixture. Bring to a simmer; cook until flour taste is gone and mixture is thickened, about 20 minutes. Add broccoli, carrots, sauteed onion, and celery; simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
• Step 4 Stir Cheddar cheese into vegetable mixture until cheese melts. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

And, just like that….@typeachecklist cooks ! Yum!  Yum!