This Might Sound Cheesy, but this is the Best Soup

When I used to live in New York, it was extremely cold during the winter months. I remember being huddled up by the fireplace some evenings because the rest of the house was freezing. There was no way I could spend a whole lot of time outside in the piles of snow and ice, which meant during the coldest nights I was stuck inside. The fireplace wasn’t the only remedy to overcome the cold, however, and it certainly wasn’t the best. The best remedy to me was a bowl of broccoli cheddar soup, specifically from Panera.

To be honest, I am not the biggest fan of soup. I have to be in the mood for it, and that’s a rare occasion. Not to mention, I can be a very picky eater, and i have been since I was a child. It can be difficult for me to find foods that sound appetizing, let alone soup. However, as someone who doesn’t usually enjoy soup, the broccoli cheddar soup from Panera has remained one of my favorite meals to this day.

I remember my first time trying broccoli cheddar soup was during the winter in New York. My mom suggested we get soup for dinner, and as a picky eater, I was unsure about it at first. The only reason I was okay eating soup that evening was because it was so cold outside, but I’m sure I complained about it regardless.

So, of course, I went with my mom to order dinner at our local Panera. I looked at the menu and there weren’t many options. There were the usual options; chicken noodle soup, tomato soup, but none of them stood out to me. The only one that sounded interesting enough to me was the broccoli cheddar soup. I ended up ordering that with a warm roll of bread. After going home and trying it, to my surprise, it immediately became my favorite type of soup.

It’s a very simple recipe, with two main ingredients (the broccoli and the cheddar) but somehow it tastes delicious every time. Although I’ve never attempted to make this type of soup myself, I know there’s no competing with the Panera recipe. Not once have I gotten it from Panera and it was disappointing. It’s the perfect meal for a cold day, and it never leaves me unsatisfied.

I can’t be the only one who thinks that this is the best soup, because now the grocery store sells the Panera brand broccoli cheddar soup. I’m not kidding when I say I stocked up on it when I lived at the college dorm. It was my go-to meal every time I didn’t feel like going to the dining hall.

Now that it’s more accessible, Panera’s broccoli cheddar soup has become one of my favorite lunchtime meals. I’ll heat it up at home and eat it while working on homework. It’s a quick meal, and even though it may sound unfulfilling to some on paper, the soup paired with a roll of bread is the perfect combination. It’s become one of my comfort meals, and it has carried on into my adulthood as one of the only soups I enjoy.