This soup is excellent however the Panera Black Bean soup is vegetarian, so to obtain the exact flavor of Panera's I would recommend only using vegetable stock. Also, Panera's soup has cilantro and tomato plants inside it. I added a 16 ounce container of fresh mild salsa in the produce department (Jacks Special) and pureed it using the beans, stock and veggies. Now it tastes the same as Panera's. You don't need to add fresh lemon juice or cilantro since it is within the salsa. Tasty
It was AMAZING and thus easy! I'll not used at all peas again. I substituted carrots for that red pepper, elevated the cumin, added a touch of cayenne and chili powder, and used boxed chicken stock. Aside from this, I adopted the recipe exactly. -) I suggest that you simply postpone around the salt and just add when needed in the finish. Mine would be a tad bit salty.
This recipe is fairly impressive by design: it's A lot of flavor, plenty of protein, plenty of fiber, lots of veggies, and it is lower in fat. Plus, it's very filling. I have never visited Panera, and so i can't verify the precision from the "copy cat," but it is certainly scrumptious! I fine-chopped all of the veggies within my mixer during the initial step, since i have would dirty the factor anyway it designed for super quick prep! I added 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, per other reviewers' suggestions, but otherwise made as mentioned. (Note: Knowing by a few of the reviewers, the fresh lemon juice is really a questionable component. However, I certainly recommend trying it out at least one time, because it adds a particular brightness--NOT lemony flavor--towards the flavor soup.) It has found a brand new home within my regular-use cook book! Thanks. -)