Panera Copy Cat Recipe: Low-SOS Vegan Style.
The key is to replace the **cheese, butter, chicken broth, and half-and-half** while keeping the soup thick, creamy, and flavorful—without added oil and with very little/no added sodium.
Ingredients
* 12 oz broccoli, cut into small pieces
* 2 carrots, shredded (about 1 cup)
* ÂĽ white onion, finely chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 4 tbsp **all-purpose flour**
* 2 cups **no-salt-added vegetable broth** (or water + homemade salt-free vegetable broth)
* 2 cups **unsweetened, unflavored plant milk** — preferably oat or soy
* 1 cup **cooked white beans** (cannellini or great northern), rinsed if canned
* ½ cup **raw unsalted cashews**, soaked in hot water 15–20 minutes
* 2 tbsp **nutritional yeast**
* 1 tsp **sweet paprika**
* ÂĽ tsp **nutmeg**
* ½ tsp **black pepper**
* 1–2 tsp **lemon juice**
* Optional: ½ tsp **onion powder** and/or ¼ tsp garlic powder, preferably salt-free
The “cheddar” cream
Blend until completely smooth:
**1 cup plant milk + white beans + soaked cashews + nutritional yeast + lemon juice.**
Let blender run long enough to make this *very* smooth. That’s what gives the soup its rich, cheesy texture without cheese or oil.
Directions
1. **Sauté without oil:** Put the onion, garlic and carrots in a soup pot with about ¼ cup water or broth. Cook until the onion softens, adding another splash of water whenever necessary.
2. Sprinkle in the **flour** and stir constantly for about 1 minute.
3. Slowly whisk in the **2 cups vegetable broth**, eliminating any lumps.
4. Add the broccoli and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook about **8–10 minutes**, until the broccoli is tender but still green.
5. Stir in the blended bean/cashew mixture and the remaining plant milk.
6. Add paprika, nutmeg and black pepper.
7. Simmer gently for another **3–5 minutes**, stirring frequently. **Don’t boil hard** once the creamy mixture is added.
8. Stir in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
For an especially “cheddar-like” flavor
The combination I’d emphasize is:
**nutritional yeast + lemon juice + paprika or low sodium Tajin (chili con limon) + a little garlic + cashews.**