Poor Man's Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Ever have Panera Bread's Broccoli Cheddar Soup?  Let me stop right here and say that this is in NO way a comparison to the real deal although there are copy cat recipes out there.  I just had a craving for it and couldn't bring myself to spend the money.

Poor Man's Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Here's what you'll need:

Birds Eye Steamfresh Chicken Flavored Rice (Chef's Favorite Lightly Seasoned)
Can of Cream of Broccoli Soup *
Milk (per directions on the can of soup)
Shredded Cheddar Cheese *
Rolls (Bolillios)

1. Steam your bag of rice in the microwave according to the directions.  Meanwhile, heat your soup and milk on the stove.  (I also added some seasonings like thyme and garlic to flavor the canned soup.)

2.  Cut the top off of your rolls (bread bowl ~ ours were rather oblong) by cutting around the top at an angle toward the center.  Remove the top and pull out the excess bread to make a bowl for the soup.  Serve bread along side soup.

3.  Once rice is heated, add rice and desired amount of cheese to the pot of soup.  Serve warm in bread bowls. Garnish with more cheese!

* I originally bought the Cheesy Broccoli Soup, but it tastes like plastic. Eck!  I would much rather get a little more broccoli in the Cream of Broccoli Soup and add my own cheese and let it melt in. I had the rice in the freezer, bought the soup for $1.44 and the rolls for $1.68 at Walmart.  This would make six soup bowls and feed a family for about $5.00!

Image taken from bing.com.