Seriously Amazing Soup

I just made some seriously amazing broccoli cheese soup. It was so good that even Alex liked it - and I don't mean had a taste and tolerated but actually enjoyed it! Probably because it is also seriously unhealthy, full of cream and cheese. I think this is my favorite thing that I have made thus far. I found the recipe online as a copycat recipe of Panera's broccoli cheese soup, and it really does taste just like theirs (which I haven't had in years since it uses chicken stock). I made a couple of substitutions and the final recipe is below:

Broccoli Cheese Soup
1 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half-and-half (I actually made my own half and half with 1 cup cream and 1 cup skim milk)
2 cups vegetable stock (I used the stock I made yesterday)
1/2 pound fresh broccoli (I used ~3/4 of a really big head of broccoli, basically enough to fill the pan)
1 cup carrots, julienned (I probably only used about 1/2 cup)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar

Saute onion in butter. Set aside. Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and slowly add the half-and-half, making a roux. Add the stock whisking all the time. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender for 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper. The soup should be thickened by now. Pour in batches into blender and puree or use an immersion blender (that's what I did). Return to pot over low heat and add the grated cheese; stir until well blended. Stir in the nutmeg and serve.

The soup was rich and delicious, really a meal in itself. We just had a small green salad (to make me feel better) and some bread for dipping along with it. If you like broccoli at all (or even if you don't), you should make this soup!