I never understood food cravings until I actually became preggers. Now, when I want Panera Bread, I PINE for it. I can taste it, my stomach feels like it’s imploding. I got to have it. I NEED it.
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| Visit the Panera Bread Website {here} |
Needless to say, Justin and I have been eating there far too often and his sanity and my pocketbook are certainly not benefiting from it. So I’ve been on the search to make my favorite Panera Bread lunch at home, here are some of the recipes I found and places where you can search for yourself!
Now when I go to Panera, I’m all about the You-Pick-2, a salad and a cup of soup. I am very much a creature of habit, so I always go after the same salad and soup, mixing it up only if Baby Pippin is craving something new (but for the most part, this little one is like its Momma).
I’ve been searching the internet diligently for a recipe for Panera’s Greek Salad Dressing. I mean, the salad is self explanatory: a little romaine, some red onion, feta, kalamata olives, and tomatoes. But the dressing just ties it all together perfectly, and Kraft Greek Dressing just ain’t cutting it.
I found the recipe for their Greek dressing on the website for a local news station based out of Knoxville, WBIR. Crazy right? But the recipe is IDEAL.
Here’s what you’ll need:
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
2 teaspoons shallot, minced
2 teaspoons fresh oregano, finely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh basil, chiffonade
1 teaspoon Dijon or whole-grain Mustard
1-1/2 cups Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
Combine all these lovely ingredients except the oil in a medium bowl and whisk. Once all are combined, add the olive oil little by little whisking to incorporate. Drizzle on a salad (or baste a chicken with it!) and enjoy!
Makes about 2 cups.
In addition to the Greek Salad, I’m totally obsessed with Panera’s French Onion Soup. A website called Food.com had a whole slew of copycat recipes from Panera that you can check out here.
Here’s what you’ll need for the Onion Soup:
1/4 cup sweet creamy butter
8 cups sliced yellow onions ( 4-5 medium onions)
2 (14 oz) cans of beef broth
3/4 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon tomato sauce or 1 tablespoon ketchup
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Couple drops of Tabasco
Focaccia Bread
Shaved asiago cheese
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. After the butter has melted, add the onions and saute over high heat 15-20 minutes, stirring often, to brown the onions.
Add remaining ingredients (except break and cheese) to the pot and stir to combine. Whisk the flour into the broth or water before adding it to the pot. Heat the soup until it’s boiling. Reduce head and simmer uncovered 20 minutes.
Slice the bread, butter both sides and cut into crouton-sized pieces. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes or until crispy.
Serve the soup with some croutons and top with shaved cheese.
What are some of your favorite copy cat recipes? Share them in the comments!
Thanks for looking!
Ally Jean Blog 