Panera Bread's Black Bean Soup - Copied

Everyone in my family loves Panera Bread's Black Bean Soup.

We found several copy cat recipes online, but decided to duplicate with this one at the link below:

• Black Bean Soup that tastes just like Panera’s - From Treble in the Kitchen

Yields: about 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
• 1/2 large red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 small chicken bouillon cubes (I actually used 2 cups of vegetable stock in place of the chicken bouillon and water)
• 2 cups boiling water
• 3 (15 oz) cans black beans, undrained
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

Directions:

In a pot, combine the first six ingredients; simmer for 10 minutes.
Add 1 can of beans, salt, chili powder, cayenne and cumin; cook for 5 minutes.
Puree soup in blender or food processor.
Add the rest of the beans to the soup.
Combine the cornstarch with 1 1/2 tablespoons of cold water.
Add the lemon and the cornstarch to the soup; cook until thickened.

ENJOY!!