(Panera Bread) Black Bean Soup

Ingredients

• 1onion, finely chopped
• 2garlic cloves, minced
• 2celery ribs, finely chopped
• ¹⁄₄large red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2small chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 -1 ¹⁄₂cup boiling water
• 2(15 ounce) cans black beans, undrained
• ¹⁄₂teaspoon salt
• ¹⁄₂teaspoon cumin
• ¹⁄₂lemon, juice of
• 1 ¹⁄₂tablespoons cornstarch

Directions

1. In a pot, combine the first six ingredients; simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Add half a can of beans, salt and cumin; cook for 5 minutes.
3. Puree soup (I use an immersion blender which makes it easy to do it right in the pot).
4. Add the rest of the beans to the soup.
5. Combine the cornstarch with 1 1/2 tablespoons of water.
6. Add the lemon and the cornstarch to the soup; cook until thickened.