Gazpacho Soup
This easy gazpacho recipe is made of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers. It’s a delicious summer soup that makes a great appetizer or light meal!
Gazpacho is a cold, Spanish soup with a tomato base and lots of other vegetables. Cold soup may sound a little odd to some, but there is a reason it is served that way. This soup originates in Spain, and due to the warm climate, hot soup isn’t very appealing. That is why this soup is served cold, which makes it a perfect soup for summertime!
If you love this soup, try our zucchini soup. It is another delicious summer soup that can be served cold or warm!
You can serve gazpacho with a variety of dishes. Sever it as an appetizer to your oven chicken fajitas , as a side dish for your gambas pil pil (chili garlic shrimp) , or just have it by itself with some delicious garlic bread.
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What’s Gazpacho Made Of?
There are a bunch of ingredients that go into this chilled soup, but the great thing is there aren’t many steps to follow to put the whole gazpacho recipe together.
We use the following ingredients, as they are what is usually found in most gazpacho, but feel free to play with the ingredients a bit to put your own mark on this dish. Try serving it with a garnish of chives or sliced avocado for that perfect finishing touch!
Many traditional Spanish recipes call for something to thicken the soup. If you would like to thicken this dish, just use few pieces of stale bread that have been soaked to soften, then the softened bread and mix into the soup.
In our version we skip the bread and just enjoy the fresh flavors of the summer vegetables.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Red Onion – This is the best kind of onion to use for this recipe but in a pinch, you can substitute with yellow onion.
- Cucumber – This cool, fresh, veggie pairs perfectly with the tomatoes and onion.
- Vine-ripened Tomatoes– You want beautifully ripe tomatoes, which is why this is best in the summer. The tomatoes are peeled to remove the skin making for a smooth soup.
- Red Bell Pepper – These blend with the tomatoes.
- Garlic – The more the merrier. Start with two cloves and add more if you like!
- Tomato Juice – Pour it in to add more liquid to the soup.
- Hot Sauce – Add your favorite hot sauce to give your soup a nice kick!
- Balsamic Vinegar – The sharp tang of the vinegar balances out the sweetness of the other vegetables. You can also sub this sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar if needed.
- Worcestershire sauce – This also adds a tangy, saltiness that balances out the sweetness of the tomatoes and red pepper.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Blend this in with the veggies to make it a smooth, flavorful soup.
- Seasoning – A little salt and pepper brings out all of the flavor.
Instructions
Step 1 – Dice veggies – Finely dice ¼ of the cucumbers, red onions, and red peppers and set them to the side to add to the mixture one it has been pureed.
Step 2 – Blend – Add everything else to a blender. Puree until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Step 3 – Chill – Place the soup in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Step 4 – Serve – Pour the soup into bowls and serve cold with the diced veggies as garnish. This dish was made to be served cold, or at the very least, cool.
How to Peel Tomatoes
Peeling tomatoes removes the thin outer skin which allows the tomato to be pureed into a beautifully smooth soup. Here are some easy steps to peel your tomatoes:
- Bring a pot of water to a boil.
- Cut a small X into the bottom of the tomato, just deep enough to cut through the skin.
- Place the tomatoes in the boiling water and boil them for 3 minutes.
- Carefully remove the tomatoes from the boiling water and place them in a bowl of cold water.
- Once cooled pull at the scored skin on the tomato and it will peel right off.
This soup recipe originated in Spain where the summers are really hot. So, they came up with a way to use all of those delicious, flavorful, fresh vegetables without having to heat everything up. This chilled soup cools you down and enhances the fresh, bright flavors.
This is a smooth soup. All of the ingredients should be pureed together until they make a thick, delicious creamy soup. Adding the garnish of finely chopped vegetables on top when you serve adds some texture to the soup and gives it a little bite.
Gazpacho is extremely healthy! Depending on the vegetables you add, you will be getting a healthy dose of vitamins A, C, and E as well as iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and potassium. It is full of fiber and antioxidants.
We don’t add a heavy cream to thicken it, so you are basically just eating a huge serving of vegetables! This is why it makes a great side dish or appetizer to any meal!
How to Store It
You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. I love these soup containers because I can portion it out ahead of time for an easy grab and go lunch or snack. You don’t even need to heat it up! Just grab it from the fridge and chow down!
Can You Freeze It
Yes, you can freeze gazpacho. However, as with many frozen dishes that uses fresh vegetables, the soup won’t have the exact same flavor once it has been frozen and unthawed.
I use the same soup container for the freezer. Storing it in individual portions makes it easier to thaw out just what you need.
Looking for More Easy Soup Recipes?
- Caldo Verde – Portuguese Kale Soup
- Creamy Asparagus Soup
- Slow Cooker Taco Soup
- Easy Carrot Soup
- Zucchini Soup
- Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
- Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
- More Soup Recipes…
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Gazpacho Soup
Ingredients
- 1 cup Red Onion, diced
- 1 Cucumber, large, peeled, seeded, and diced
- 6 Vine-ripened Tomatoes, peeled and seeded
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, seeded and diced
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 cups Tomato Juice
- 5 drops Hot Sauce, such as Tabasco
- 3 teaspoons Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Put ¼ of the cucumbers, red onions, and red peppers to the side to add to the mixture one it has been pureed.
- Add everything else to a blender. Puree until smooth.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Serve cold with the diced veggies as garnish.
Nutrition
