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Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup

Pumpkin and black bean soup with a smooth-but-chunky texture made by partially blending a simmered pot of pumpkin, Rotel, and beans. Finished with lime juice and optional toppings like sour cream, avocado, cilantro, and extra lime for a bright finish.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 310
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

pumpkin puree
  • 2 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree Use canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling).
black beans
  • 2 can (15 oz) black beans, drained
onion
  • 1 onion, diced
garlic
  • 4 clove garlic, minced
broth
  • 4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
Rotel tomatoes
  • 1 can (10 oz) Rotel tomatoes
cumin
  • 2 tsp cumin
chili powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder
smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
olive oil
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
lime juice
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
sour cream
  • 1 sour cream for serving Optional topping.
avocado
  • 1 avocado for serving Optional topping.
cilantro
  • 1 cilantro for serving Optional topping.
lime
  • 1 lime Optional extra wedges.
salt and pepper
  • 1 salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Sauté the aromatics
  1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat, then sauté the onion until softened, about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t brown.
  2. Add the garlic, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, and cinnamon and cook for 2 minutes, stirring until the spices darken slightly and smell fragrant.
Simmer and thicken
  1. Add the pumpkin puree, black beans, Rotel tomatoes, and broth, then bring the soup to a boil, with steady bubbling across the surface.
  2. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, partially blending until the soup is thicker but still shows visible black beans.
Finish and serve
  1. Stir in the lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste, then simmer 1–2 minutes more so the flavors meld.
  2. Serve hot with sour cream, avocado, cilantro, and lime.

Notes

For the thickest texture without turning fully smooth, blend only about one-third of the soup and keep the rest chunky so the black beans stay visible. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container up to 4 days; freeze up to 3 months (add toppings like sour cream, avocado, and cilantro after reheating). For a lighter option, use vegetable broth and swap sour cream for plain Greek yogurt.