So, I used to love Panera Bread…but they aren’t exactly the most gluten-free friendly restaurant that you could find. I mean really! I love their broccoli cheddar soup and have been thinking about it lately and figured–why not try to copy it with ingredients that I can eat? It couldn’t be that hard, right? Well it isn’t!! It’s got to be one of the easiest, quickest soups I’ve ever made and I probably made a whole pot for what it would cost for one bowl at the restaurant. In case you want to copy me, here’s how I did it!
Adopted from Shugarysweets.com
Gluten Free, Dairy Free Copy Cat Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup
1/4 cup diary free butter (I had smart balance on hand, but earth balance would work also!)
1/3 med onion chopped to your liking
1 cup matchstick carrots (these were on sale at my grocery and it made everything so much faster to skip the chopping!)
1 bag broccoli florets (I chopped these a bit smaller so they would cook more quickly)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (I had homemade in the freezer)
1 can of full fat coconut milk plus enough unsweetened nut milk to make 2 cups (I used cashew milk because that’s what I had on hand, but almond would work well also)
1/4 cup gluten free flour blend (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
1 t salt (or less or more to taste–this depends on what sort of broth you use)
pepper to taste
crushed red pepper to taste (I always thought the soup was hot because it was hot, but it is definitely the red pepper! ha!)
1/2 bag daiya shredded cheddar cheese (this is my favorite cheese substitute for cooking! It works really well!)
Melt butter in a large/medium pot. Add onion, carrots, broccoli. Cook and stir for a few minutes until softened.
Add the milk and broth and seasoning. Sprinkle the flour over and stir. Cook over medium heat until veggies are soft. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Once it is thick you are ready to enjoy!
