Gazpacho, chilled Spanish raw tomato and cucumber soup. It is my ultimate summer lunch. Refreshing, light, nice and cold. Perfect for a hot day.
When I was young and we vacationed in Spain, I never wanted to try it. ‘What!? Cold soup? Yucky!?’ I didn’t like raw tomatoes so why would I consider tasting raw tomato soup? Until I did (I was either forced or tricked into it, I don’t recall), I was blown away by the burst of flavor and its freshness.
Since then I have tasted my fair share of gazpachos ranging from watery bland soups to kick-ass uber flavorful. When putting this recipe together I tested methods, retested them and modified my own version until I had it right (in my humble opinion). I am here to share my findings with you.
How I make this refreshing gazpacho?
Just 8 ingredients, a blender and 10 minutes to make this refreshing soup.
I start by adding bread, garlic, cumin and olive oil to a medium size bowl. I mix it all well and set it aside for 5 minutes so the bread can absorb all the flavors. If you don’t want to use bread, skip this step and put all ingredients (minus the bread) straight into a blender.
To a blender I add all ingredients starting with 3/4 of the water. I pulse and check the consistency. If it is too thick, I add some more water. Also I taste the soup and add salt and pepper to taste.
I refrigerate the soup for at least 2 hour to deepen the flavor. When serving the soup, I top it with finely diced tomato, cucumber and bread.
Best gazpacho tips and tricks:
- ADDING BREAD, like the original Andalusian recipe, will give texture and body to your gazpacho. I tried with different types of bread (sourdough, whole wheat bread, baguette and sandwich bread) and found out it doesn’t really matter what type you use as long as it is sturdy (so not soft sandwich bread). So just go for your preferred bread. Adding bread will give texture and make this a filling lunch dish. Gluten free bread works as well, but having said that, leaving bread out and keeping it naturally gluten free is totally an option as well. Just keep in mind the soup will have a different consistency without it. Since olive oil is used blending the vegetables, you will end up with a rich and creamy emulsion no matter what. So using bread is up to you. I recommend it though. Try both and see what you prefer.
- SOME RECIPES call for ONION, but I don’t recommend it. Raw onion is too strong for my liking and totally not needed in this recipe.
- BLENDING your soup super SMOOTH or CHUNKY? I like mine chunky. Here is how I do this. I split all the ingredients in 2 batches; 1 batch I blend until smooth and creamy, then I add the second batch and only blitz until the chunks have broken into small pieces. The perfect combination between creamy and chunky! Having said that, my kids will not touch it when it is not silky smooth so I usually end up with either thoroughly blended gazpacho or making 2 batches of soup and everybody wins. Minor compromise, happy family members.
- CHILLING your soups is crucial to develop depth of flavor. I would say chill at least for 2 hours. Also this soup taste just so much better when it is super cold.
- A lot of times I add roasted red bell pepper to the gazpacho to get an even bigger burst of flavor. Totally optional, and not the original version, but in my opinion a great addition. Or, honeydew melon.. no, I am not kidding!
So refreshing! I hope you love this as much as I do. It is:
so intensely flavorful – easy and quick to make – healthy – light & refreshing – and delicious
The ultimate summer day lunch dish. Serve it with (pita) bread to dip or spread some tzatziki on it? It can of course also serve as a starter to a mediterranean night or a healthy quinoa bowl.
Gazpacho
Chilled Spanish soup made with tomato and cucumber. Keeping you cool all summer long!
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
resting time 2 hours hrs
Total Time 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Course lunch
Cuisine Mediterranean
Equipment
Blender
Ingredients
- 150-200 gr bread (any type as long as it is a sturdy bread (so no soft sandwich bread)) (in small cubes) (optional)(approx. 3-4 cups)
- 75-100 ml olive oil (to taste)(approx. ⅓ cup)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 8 tomatoes, medium size (small cubes)
- 1 cucumber, medium size (peeled, small cubes)
- 100-150 ml water (1/3-1/2 cup)
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 red bell pepper (roasted*, peeled and cubed) (optional)
Instructions
Set aside a handful of bread, tomato and cucumber cubes for garnishing.
Add bread, garlic, cumin and olive oil to a medium size bowl, mix and set aside for 5 minutes (skip this step if you don't want to use bread. Just add the ingredients straight to the blender).
Add tomato, cucumber, bread mix, vinegar and 3/4 of the water to a blender and blend. Check the consistency. Too wet? Add more water.
For a chunky but creamy consistency divide all ingredients in 2 before adding to the blender. Blend the first batch until smooth and creamy. Now add the second batch and pulse until the chunks have been broken into small pieces.
Refrigerate the soup for at least 2 hours
When serving the soup, top with remaining bread, tomato and cucumber cubes. Enjoy!
Notes
*how to roast a bell pepper on your stove top? Simply by putting the bell pepper directly on top of the flame. Keep on turning it until all sides are burned (black). Add the blackened bell pepper to a sandwich bag and tie a knot in it. Leave it in there until cooled off. Now you can easily peel the bell pepper and cube it. Or check out this link.
Nutritional information:
the information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Keyword chilled, cucumber, soup, tomato
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