Crockpot Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Turn this restaurant favorite into a home-cooked meal.
One of my favorite dishes from Panera is their broccoli cheddar soup. This stuff is soooo satisfying. Rich, creamy, and cheesy, delicately spiced with pepper, nutmeg, and paprika. Plus, it has plenty of veggies in it, so it’s healthy and hedonistic at the same time.
I decided to try making this super comforting soup at home. With the help of my trusty Crockpot, of course.
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So I started with the veggies. Broccoli is the main one, of course. But you’ve also got plenty of onion, carrot, and celery in there, all adding to the flavor and texture. I sautéed all those in butter and tossed them in the crock with salt, spices, and some chicken broth thickened up with flour. Then, after a long, slow simmer, I blended it with my little hand blender and stirred in the cheese and milk.
After one more half hour of cooking, the cheese was all evenly melted and the soup had the same wonderful, creamy consistency as Panera’s. All I needed was some fresh bread to complete my at-home Panera experience.
The secret to getting your chicken breasts juicy, tender and oh-so flavorful -starts with the marinade! It’s packed with dried and fresh herbs, olive oil, seasoning and fresh lemon juice that’ll make you and those at your table come back for a second helping.
Letting your marinade soak into your chicken breasts while chilled in the fridge is key and once that’s done, all you need to do is pop your chicken breasts into the oven with no further babysitting required. 
How to Make Crockpot Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Begin with heating up the 1 tbsp butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Once melted, add onions and garlic and sauté for 4 minutes until the onions are translucent and cooked.
- Add the broccoli, celery, carrots, cooked onion/garlic mixture, salt, paprika, nutmeg and pepper to the crockpot.
- In a small bowl whisk together flour and chicken broth until completely combined and no lumps remain. Then add it to the slow cooker and stir to combine it all.
- Cover with the lid and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.
- About 30 minutes before serving, blend the soup to desired consistency with an immersion blender. Add the milk, half and half, and cheese to the crock pot, stirring well until combined.
- Cover and continue to cook for about 30 minutes until cheese is melted.
- Serve with bread and enjoy!
Can you make this recipe vegetarian?
- Yes, very easily. All you have to do is replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth.
I don’t have a hand blender. Is there a way to make this soup without it?
- Well, you can pour the soup into your stand blender, whir it up in there, and then pour it back into the pot. But a whole potful of soup is more than most blenders can hold, so you’ll have to do it in batches: pour in half the soup, blend it, pour it out into a big bowl, pour in the other half, blend it, and put everything back in the pot. Or you can just get yourself a little immersion blender – they’re not expensive, and they come in handy for lots of things.
Do you actually have to blend the soup before adding the cheese, or can you leave it chunky?
- I blended it because I was trying to get smooth and creamy, but if you actually like your soup with some chunks in it, feel free to leave them in.
This soup really needs a good bread to go with it. Can you recommend one?
- I think this would go great with my Easy No Yeast Beer Bread or Bacon Cheddar Irish Soda Bread, which can both be ready in an hour or so. Or, if you have a little more time to spend on it, whip up a batch of my Homemade Dinner Rolls.
Crockpot Broccoli Cheddar Soup
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Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Butter
- 2 Cups finely Chopped Onions
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 4 cups broccoli- chopped
- 3 celery stalks- chopped
- 3 small carrots peeled and chopped
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp pepper
- 3 cups Cheddar Cheese
Instructions
- Begin with heating up the 1 tbsp butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Once melted, add onions and garlic and sauté for 4 minutes until the onions are translucent and cooked.
- Add the broccoli, celery, carrots, salt, paprika, nutmeg and pepper to the crock pot.
- In a small bowl whisk together flour and chicken broth until completely combined and no lumps remain. Then add it to the slow cooker and stir to combine it all.
- Cover with the lid and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.
- About 30 minutes before serving, blend the soup to desired consistency with an immersion blender. Add the milk, half and half, and cheese to the crock pot, stirring well until combined.
- Cover and continue to cook for about 30 minutes until cheese is melted.
- Serve with bread and enjoy!
Nutritional Disclaimer: Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
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