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!
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
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Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.
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Stir in onion and shallots. Cook for about 4 minutes until tender.
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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.
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Turn off heat and let soup cool for 15 minutes. Puree using an immersion blender or in batches using a food processor.
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Return blended soup to pot and heat over medium heat. Add cheese, powdered mustard, Adobo seasoning, garlic salt, garlic powder, pepper and lemon juice.
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Stir well and let cook for about 10 more minutes. Eat and enjoy!
