Veggie Black Bean Soup

I just couldn't find a black bean recipe that I loved so I combined bits'n'pieces of lots of different recipes I'd tried and then added a few of my own ideas until I created this. I'm thrilled with the final result! It's great by itself but also wonderful for dipping sandwiches.

• Ready In: 55 mins
• Serves: 6-8
• Yields: 3 3/4 quarts

Ingredients

• 3 (15 ounce) cans black beans, Bush's
• 3  slices  hickory smoked bacon, thick sliced
• 1 1⁄2 cups sweet onions, chopped
• 1  cup carrot, sliced
• 1  cup celery, sliced
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 2 (10 1/2ounce) cans  Campbell's condensed chicken broth
• 1 1⁄2 cups water
• 1 (14 1/2ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1⁄3 cup cilantro, chopped
• 2  tablespoons fresh lime juice
•  monterey jack cheese, finely shredded for garnish
•  sour cream (optional)
•  cilantro, whole for garnish

Directions

1. Cook bacon in Dutch Oven or 4 1/2 quart deep pan until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and cool on paper towels.
2. Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic to bacon drippings in pan and saute 10 minutes. Chop bacon into small bits once cool.
3. Add beans, bacon, broth, water, tomatoes and chopped bacon to pan. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Simmer 30 minutes.
4. Blend 1/3 to 1/2 of the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth and return to pan. Stir in cilantro and lime juice.
5. Serve with a tablespoon of sour cream, some shredded cheese and a few cilantro leaves to garnish.