A Weight Loss Influencer Who Lost 250-Lbs Shares Her ‘Low-Calorie’ Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup Recipe: ‘This Is Amazing’

Soup season is in full swing, and sometimes, it can feel hard to find a soup recipe that’s both delicious and weight-loss-friendly at the same time.

One of the most popular soup restaurants out there is Panera, the beloved cafe chain that produces fan-favorites, including their famous broccoli cheddar soup. The soup made at the restaurant, while tasty, is known for being high in fat and calories. So, a viral weight loss content creator, Samantha Milton, who lost 250 pounds, shared her recipe for a “low-calorie” version of the soup, creating her own “Panera dupe.” Read more about how she makes it below.

To prep her Panera dupe soup, Sam begins by adding a drizzle of olive oil to a soup pot on the stove before adding three finely chopped veggies: one medium yellow onion, two large carrots, and two stalks of celery.

Once her vegetables have cooked down and tenderized, she adds a pound of chopped ham to the pot and stirs everything together, allowing the ham to brown a bit. While the ham and veggies are cooking, in a separate pot, she steams 20 ounces of fresh broccoli florets in 32 ounces of chicken bone broth.

As her broccoli steams until it’s tender, she gives her ham and veggies a stir before adding two tablespoons of minced garlic and one-third cup of flour. She stirs those in before adding a 20-ounce container of low-fat cottage cheese, allowing everything to cook until the cheese curdles and melts.