A Broccoli Cheese Soup You Should Actually Eat and Why You Shouldn’t Eat Soup From Your Go-To Lunch Spots!

Any time I walk into a Panera Bread or a Corner Bakery, I would LIKE to order the Broccoli Cheese Soup, but I would NEVER order the Broccoli Cheese Soup.  Firstly, I know that a soup like that at most restaurants will be loaded with cheese, probably cream, preservatives and tons of salt.

If I look at the Nutrition Information available on the websites for both Panera Bread and Corner Bakery, I can find out if I’m right.

For Panera Bread, if I order Broccoli Cheddar Soup, I can see from the ingredients that I will be eating processed cheddar cheese, whipping cream and yeast extract which is a form of MSG.  And I will be ingesting 800 mg of sodium and 13 g fat in a cup of soup, 1330 mg sodium and 21 g fat in a bowl of soup and 2000 mg sodium and 18 g fat in a bread bowl of soup.  No thank you, Panera Bread.

At Corner Bakery, I have no idea what ingredients I am eating when I order Broccoli Cheddar Soup because they are being very sneaky and only listing the ingredients as “broccoli cheddar soup”.  That’s a bad sign.  But I can see that I will be ingesting 1550 mg sodium and 22 g fat in a cup of soup, 2320 mg sodium and 32 g fat in a bowl of soup and 3830 mg sodium and 34 g fat in a bread bowl of soup.  No thank you to you as well, Corner Bakery.  And side note–are you trying to kill your customers, Corner Bakery?

Although I LOVE Broccoli Cheese Soup, I’d rather shovel my driveway today after a dump of 4 inches of snow (which I may have to do since my snow plow guy is the worst and never shows up) than eat that junk.  I will just make my own soup which will be healthy and yummy.  And I will share the recipe with you!!  Check out the healthy hidden ingredient giving this version loads of extra fiber—-white beans!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Not a lot of dairy in this yummy soup plus a hidden source of extra protein and fiber!

Course Soup
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 onion diced
  • 3 shallots diced
  • 1 1/2 large heads broccoli chopped, about 6 cups
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 15 oz. can no-salt added cannellini or Great Northern beans rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup shredded sharp cheese any will do! I used sharp provolone because I had it in the house
  • 1 tsp powdered mustard
  • 1/2 tsp Goya adobo all-purpose seasoning you can find this in the Mexican food aisle!
  • 1/2 tsp garlic salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions

  1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. 

  2. Stir in onion and shallots.  Cook for about 4 minutes until tender.

  3. Add the broccoli, broth and beans.  Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.  Then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer covered for about 20 minutes until broccoli is tender.

  4. Turn off heat and let soup cool for 15 minutes.  Puree using an immersion blender or in batches using a food processor.

  5. Return blended soup to pot and heat over medium heat.  Add cheese, powdered mustard, Adobo seasoning, garlic salt, garlic powder, pepper and lemon juice.

  6. Stir well and let cook for about 10 more minutes.  Eat and enjoy!

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