Broccoli cheddar soup // irresistible recipes {part 1 of 2}

Do you have trigger foods? I certainly do. These are foods that I simply have to try, like: macaroni and cheese, french fries or burgers. In restaurants, these are the menu items that will grab my attention every time. In cookbooks or online, these are the recipes that float around in the recesses of my mind until I somehow get a craving fix.

Broccoli cheddar soup is another one of those trigger foods for me. Fifteen years ago or so, when I first discovered Panera (or St. Louis Bread Co.), I spent the first year of our acquaintance bouncing back and forth between two orders, either the chicken salad on croissant (with sprouts, of course) or the broccoli cheddar soup in a bread bowl. It was a mild obsession.

So, while I already had a great broccoli cheddar soup recipe in my culinary repertoire, when I saw this new one, I just couldn't get it out of my head until I tried it. My first broccoli cheddar soup recipe calls for potato as the thickening agent. This new recipe uses cannellini beans instead. The beans add a surprising, earthy flavor while still providing that comforting, creamy texture that first wooed me at Panera. Plus, lucky for me, I just received an immersion blender as a Christmas gift, so I found the preparation to be a lot easier (and tidier) that pureeing in the blender.

Notes - Because I like a little kick, I generously seasoned the soup with black pepper. I also substituted low-sodium vegetable bouillon cubes (and water) for the broth, mostly because they take up less room in my kitchen cabinet.