Panera Bread's Broccoli Cheese Soup

I know it's not really soup season anymore, at least not here, but I made soup anyway the other night and it was so yummy. If you haven't ever had Panera Bread before, you are missing out, and I love their soup. This recipe says to puree the whole thing, but I remember chunks of carrot and broccoli at panera so I used my immersion blender and only pureed enough to make it thick but left lots of smaller chunks intact. We ate it with Kelli's multigrain bread and havarti cheese toasts. Yummy! Oh, and I doubled the recipe and it fed us for almost 3 dinners. Plus, my kids ate it up like pros, so that was a nice bonus.

Panera Bread's Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half and half (I used Land O' Lakes fat free kind)
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 pound fresh broccoli, chopped (I used the stems and florets)
1 cup carrots, julienned (I used precut matchstick carrots that you use for salads)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp nutmeg
8 oz. grated sharp cheddar

Saute onion in 1 Tbsp butter. Set aside. Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly add the half and half, stirring constantly while adding. Add the chicken stock, whisking the whole time. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender for 20-25 minutes (I actually had to cook mine a little longer than that). Add salt and pepper. The soup should be thickened by now. Pour in batches into blender and puree (I used my immersion blender and only pureed some of it. I like texture in my soup. You can also only puree half of your soup in the blender). Return to pot over low heat and add the grated cheese. Stir until well blended and melted. Add nutmeg and serve (I only added a pinch of nutmeg since most comments on this recipe said the nutmeg wasn't necessary).