veggie cheddar soup

No matter what the temperature is, if I find myself at Panera I am getting broccoli cheddar soup and scooping it up with their delicious sourdough bread. Its a delicious & creamy indulgence I can't pass up. I have also made the copycat recipe at home and whoaaa does it call for a lot of heavy cream. I get it, thats the case in many cream-based soups, but...maybe ignorance is bliss. When I make it for myself, I don't want to know how much butter goes into it.

So I decided to make my own, slightly lightened up version. Caution: it still contains butter. And cream. But just like 3 tablespoons instead of a whole stick. And a half cup of cream. I call this balance.

veggie cheddar soup
1 head of broccoli, ends trimmed and chopped into bite sized pieces (I kept mine rather large so you could still see them)
3 carrots, peels and diced (again, in bite sized but still bigger pieces)
2 celery stalks, diced
5 mini red potatoes (or 1 medium-large), peeled and diced
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1 tbsp olive oil
1 bay leaf
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper for seasoning

• preheat pot on medium-high heat and add olive oil
• once warm, lower to medium heat and add carrots and celery and let saute until soft (about 10 mins) turning often
• fill another pot with water, diced potatoes and a few pinches of salt and bring to a boil
• let boil for approx 3 mins then drain and set aside
• remove veggies and set aside
• add butter and flour and whisk together in pan, still on medium heat, until a paste is formed
• slowly add cream, whisk together, then vegetable stock and let simmer and thicken, about 5-7 mins
• add nutmeg, bay leaf, and a pinch of salt and pepper, cook for another 8 mins on medium-low heat
• remove bay leaf, add cheese and stir together
• let cheese melt into the sauce and then add broccoli, simmer for 5 mins then add remaining veggies set aside
• stir together, taste and adjust for seasoning and cook for another 5-7 minutes

serve with some sort of bread-I chose naan because we had it on hand-and enjoy!