Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I know if I'm being really honest with myself that this soup is pretty much queso with veggies in it - but we're not going to think about it like that. I love this soup. Hands down my favorite soup of all time. Especially when it's served with nice crusty bread. Yummy.

I found this knock-off recipe on my favorite recipe site, Allrecipes.

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.