Copycat Panera 10 Vegetable Soup Recipe

Ingredients For Homemade Panera Vegetable Soup

This recipe has a lot of ingredients but do not stress. It is easy to make this one-pot dinner. The most work is the dicing of the vegetables. It is worth it!

Vegetable Ingredients

• Onions: I like to use yellow onion for this recipe.
• Poblano Peppers: Poblanos are a large, mild green chili pepper. I have found that some are hotter than others when I buy them. So, when chopping, give it a taste. Adjust how much you put in according to how spicy you like your food.
• Carrots: Note the carrots are prepared in two ways. You will dice and puree your carrots. See the instructions below.
• Lime Juice: Use freshly squeezed lime juice, not bottled, for the best flavor.
• Lemon Peel: Wash the lemon and zest the yellow part of the lemon skin. You can use 1/3 less dried lemon peel if you do not have a lemon.

📋 See the recipe card at bottom of this post for the complete ingredient list and measurements.

Soup Stock Ingredients

• Vegetable Base: I like to use Better Than Bouillon. Don’t skip this step. It creates a richer broth than regular boxed vegetable stock. 
• Garbanzo Beans: Another name for chickpeas 
• Chia Seed: Chia seeds help thicken the soup.
• Tomatoes: Panera uses fire-roasted canned tomatoes in its list of ingredients.

📋 See the recipe card at bottom of this post for the complete ingredient list and measurements.

Grains and Yeast In Panera’s Soup

Spelt: Spelt is an ancient grain similar to wheat but has a slightly higher protein and fat content than wheat. 🇺🇸

Sprouted Short Grain Brown Rice: 🇺🇸

Sprouted Red Fife: Red fife is heirloom wheat that boasts exceptional flavor and baking properties while remaining unaltered by modern genetic modification. I used red wheat berries. 🇺🇸

Yeast Extract: Yeast extract is very different from the yeast used in baking. The extract is a paste-like consistency. In terms of flavor, yeast extracts often have a strong salty taste.

• Yeast Extract: This type of nutritional yeast form often comes in a paste and is known for its umami flavor profile. (a category of taste in food (besides sweet, sour, salt, and bitter), corresponding to the flavor of glutamates, especially monosodium glutamate.)
• Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast is made from a single-celled organism, Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, which is grown on molasses and then harvested, washed, and dried with heat to kill it.
• Do NOT use baking yeast. Baking yeast is a live culture and does not serve the purpose in this soup recipe.

Seasonings

• Dried Aleppo Chili Peppers Powdered Flakes: Aleppo chili pepper is made from dried and coarsely ground Halaby (also commonly called) chile peppers and can be used much like crushed red pepper in recipes. However, Aleppo is about half the heat level as crushed red chili pepper seeds you can buy in an American grocery store or the link above.
• Mustard Flour: Panera ingredients say mustard flour; however, it is typically called mustard powder in the grocery. 
• Bay Leaves: Bay adds a nice savory flavor to dishes. However, it is important to discard before serving. A whole leaf could be a choking hazard. 

📋 See the recipe card at bottom of this post for the complete ingredient list and measurements.

How To Make Panera 10 Veggie Soup

1. In a large 6-quart Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until slightly soft.

2. Add the garlic, and saute for 1 minute, stirring continually. Garlic cooks faster than onions, so be sure to cook onions for a bit first.

3. Add Poblano peppers, red and yellow bell peppers, and celery. Saute for 1 minute, stirring continually. 

4. Stir in tomato paste and soy sauce.

5. Note: Be sure to prepare your carrots in two ways. 1/2 cup of the carrots are chopped and the other 1/3 cup is grated.

6. Next, add tomatoes, corn, carrots, and garbanzo beans. Add vegetable base and vegetable broth.

7. Stir in spelt, wheat berries, brown rice, and Red Fife. 

8. Add yeast extract, chia seeds, basil, rice wine vinegar, and lemon zest.

11. In a small jar add the cool water and cornstarch. Place a lid on and shake well to blend.

12. In The last 15 minutes of cooking time, remove the lid and pour in the mixture of cornstarch and water. This will help thicken your soup. Cover and continue cooking for the last 15 minutes.

Note* If your soup seems too thick, omit the cornstarch mixture. You can also add a little water or broth to think it out. Place the lid back on. Finish simmering time.

13. Finally, remove the lid and stir in the spinach, lime juice, and salt to taste. Simmer for 5 more minutes and serve.

Preparation Tip

I have found the easiest way to make this soup preparation easy is to cut all my vegetables before I start cooking. I also use this OXO Good Grips Food Chopper. It gives my veggies a uniform size so you get a little bit of everything in a big scoop of soup.

⏲ Smart Shortcuts and Substitutions

• Corn: If you cannot find fresh corn on the cob, then use frozen corn vs. canned corn.
• Chickpeas: Buy already-cooked canned chickpeas. Dried chickpeas would take too long to cook in the soup. Better yet, learn how to can your own chickpeas.
• Spinach: If you do not have fresh spinach, you can use frozen spinach.
• Spicy Heat: If you enjoy some heat to your soup, then add 1/2 teaspoon more of cayenne or add a teaspoon of red pepper flakes. I like to add a dash of hot sauce to my own bowl. You could also add one or two chopped jalapenos without seeds when cooking your veggies.
• Beans: This soup is vertical, if you do not like garbanzo beans, then switch them out for your favorite, such as kidney beans, navy beans, pinto, or black beans.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• One-Pot Dinner This is an easy soup to prepare a few hours before dinner time and fill the house with the simmering pot’s fantastic aroma.
• Flavor & More Flavor The flavor of all the seasonings, grains, and veggies meld into out flavorful bite after another.
• Perfect For A Crowd This is a great make-ahead soup to serve guests after church for Sunday dinner. Serve with a Homemade Cesar Salad and a loaf of crusty bread.
• Low-Calorie Soup: If you are watching your weight, then this soup is Mediterranean diet-approved. To cut the carbs, omit some of the grains.

Fun Serving Suggestion

For a fun way to serve this veggie soup, make a bread bowl. All you need to do is hollow out a small round loaf of bread. Fill your new bread bowl with the soup. Save the part of the bread you cut out and make croutons.

❄️ How To Freeze Soup

Freezing your leftover copycat Panera’s version of vegetable soup is a great way to prepare meals ahead of time. Here are the steps to freeze vegetable soup:

1. Allow the soup to cool down to room temperature. You can also refrigerate it overnight to allow the flavors to develop further.
2. Once the soup has cooled, ladle it into freezer-safe containers. You can use plastic containers, freezer bags, or even mason jars. Leave about an inch of space at the top of the container to allow for expansion during freezing.
3. Label the containers with the name of the soup and the date it was made. I like to use a piece of washi tape for this. 
4. Place the containers in the freezer and make sure they are stored upright to prevent a leaky mess. 
5. To thaw the soup, remove the container from the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Alternatively, you can thaw the soup in the microwave or place the container in a bowl of cold water.
6. Reheat the soup on the stovetop or microwave until it reaches a safe temperature of 165°F (74°C) before serving.