If there’s one thing rainy gloomy gray days are good for, it’s as a reason forsoup.
It really is one of those foods where love and care are tangible ingredients.
But we don’t always have the luxury of makingsoup from scratch.
Su-Jit Lin
But when you want it ready now nothing beats heading out to the local Panera.
And when you do, here are the best-tasting Panera soups you’ve got the option to getranked!
This light 100-calorie bowl also made a poor showing of most of its ingredients.
Su-Jit Lin
The chickpeas make me wish this brothy, less-substantial-than-hoped soup had beans.
Dyed a greenish-red from the broth, they were the only ingredient that added texture to this soup.
The other vegetables and even the rice and wheat just kind of melt together indistinguishably.
Su-Jit Lin
Both of these assessments would be correct.
It’s a dense soup, but not in a natural way.
Reheated to piping hot, it becomes much more liquid and palatable.
Su-Jit Lin
Plus, it gets bonus points for nostalgia.
The carrots added a nice aesthetic but nothing more.
While the broccoli was pretty broken down to mush, the flavor was nicely extracted into the soup.
Su-Jit Lin
This made it pleasantly veggie-forward with just enough hint of mild cheese to qualify its title.
It beefs it up only figuratively, using russet potatoes rather than the chicken.
It tasted similar to Campbell’s excellent Chunky Chipotle Chicken and Corn Chowder.
Su-Jit Lin
In this soup, Panera finally steps up to the task of glorifying a humble homestyle classic.
They use a thick puree of juicy, vine-ripened small pear tomatoes instead of your typical bigger commercial tomatoes.
Those components are subtle, but the rest of the soup is not.
Su-Jit Lin
Their olive oil recalls the comfort of grilled cheese even in the absence of cheese.
I was pleasantly surprised to find this heartier and more substantial than some of the non-vegetarian options.
It’s got chicken, of course, and a little more of it than the other chicken soups.
Su-Jit Lin
It’s not exactly a soup that travels well, given its very particular accouterments.
Like their tomato soup, this vegetable soup was astoundingly hearty, bursting with its titular vegetable.
Panera is making an obvious effort to introduce global diversity and unique ingredients to their menu.
Su-Jit Lin
All the soups are filling and satisfying when rounded out with their eponymous bread.
