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Gazpacho is a zesty, cold vegetable soup that takes just minutes to prepare. It’s a great way to enjoy fresh summer cucumbers, tomatoes and other vegetables.
For us, Gazpacho is the quintessential summer recipe. Fresh cucumbers, red bell pepper, plum tomatoes, red onion and garlic are combined with tomato juice into a flavorful and light soup that is delicious and healthy! No cooking required – so it’s perfect for those days when the summer temperatures soar outside.
What is Gazpacho?
Gazpacho is a soup that originated in Spain and is typically a tomato-based vegetable soup that is served cold. Today, many other versions of Gazpacho exist – including white gazpacho and fruit gazpacho, to name just a few – and some recipes include bread or almonds that have been soaked in the juices from the other ingredients and then pureed along with the vegetables.
How do you make Gazpacho?
Traditionally, gazpacho was made using a mortar and pestle to pound the vegetables, but our recipe uses a food processor which makes it super quick and easy to prepare.
You’ll start by coarsely chopping a variety of vegetables in the food processor: English cucumber, red bell pepper, plum tomatoes, and red onion. (Be sure to process each type of vegetable separately in your food processor so that they will be evenly chopped in your finished soup. If you try to chop them all at once, some vegetables will over process, while others will be under processed.)
Combine the chopped vegetables in a mixing bowl with minced garlic, tomato juice, white wine vinegar, a good quality extra virgin olive oil, plus salt and pepper. Stir – then chill the Gazpacho for a few hours until cold, and the flavors have a chance to meld.
How do I serve Gazpacho?
We like to serve our Gazpacho with a dollop of sour cream on top, and crusty garlic bread on the side.
Gazpacho makes a perfect appetizer, or a light lunch or dinner on a summer day when you don’t want to slave over a hot stove. It’s also a great way to use up some of those abundant vegetables from your garden or the vegetable stand!
Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
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This post originally appeared on A Family Feast in August 2013. We’ve updated the recipe a little, and added new photos.
You may enjoy these other summer soup recipes:
- Cold Mexican Cucumber Soup
- Scallop Corn Chowder
- Lobster Corn Chowder
- Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini and Sausage Soup
We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!
Gazpacho
The flavors of the gazpacho will develop the longer it sits, so allowing it to chill for a few hours before serving will really intensify the flavors of this terrific soup.
Ingredients
1 long English cucumber, about 12 ounces, halved lengthwise and seeded, but not peeled, cut into large dice, about 2 cups
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded and cut into large dice, about 3 cups
4 plum tomatoes large dice, about 12 ounces or 2 cups
1 small red onion diced, about 4-5 ounces or one cup
3 garlic cloves, minced very fine or pushed through a garlic press, about 2 tablespoons
3 cups tomato juice
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Sour cream, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the cucumber, peppers, tomatoes and onion into large dice.
- In a food processor, pulse the cucumber until coarsely chopped. (Do not over-process – you want some texture from the vegetables in your finished gazpacho.) Pour the chopped cucumber into a very large bowl.
- Repeat this process for each vegetable – separately chopping the peppers until coarse, then the tomatoes, then the onion – and pour each processed vegetable into the same large bowl.
- Add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well.
- Take about 3 cups of the mixture and pour it back into the food processor. Process until pureed. Pour the pureed mixture back into the bowl and mix again. Note: This step is optional – you can leave your gazpacho chunky if you like. We prefer ours slightly more pureed – but not completely processed.
- Chill in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving.
- When ready to serve, spoon into a soup bowl and add a dollop of sour cream for garnish (optional).
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Easy and deicious!
Thanks Charlotte!
Hello Martha!
I’m a Spanish woman who lives in Madrid (Spain).
With all my respect and without the intention of annoying or offending you, I’ll tell you that this isn’t how gazpacho is made in Spain.
There are variants according to each region but the original recipe is the Andalucian gazpacho, which comes from Andalucia (a southern región).
With your permission, I will give you the authentic gazpacho récipe.
Ingredients:
– 1 kg ripe tomatoes
– 1 green Italian pepper (never red pepper)
– 1 cucumber
– 2 cloves garlic
– 50 g hard loaf bread
– 50 ml extra virgin olive oil
– 250 ml cold water
– 30 ml wine vinegar
– 5 gr salt
Elaboration:
Clean tomatoes, pepper and cucumber with wáter.
Peel the tomatoes and the cucumber.
Remove seeds from the pepper.
Remove the central sprout from the garlic cloves (this improves the digestion of garlic)
Chop the ingredients into medium pieces.
Put ALL the ingredients in the glass of the blender juice mixer machine or in a Thermomix type robot and finely crush.
Finally, pass the gazpacho through a fine strainer.
Cool in refrigerator 2 hours before serving.
If you want to see how it’s done, search in Google for GAZPACHO ANDALUZ.
Thanks for your great recipes.
All my affection
Thank you for sharing you recipe – it looks wonderful!
Your Gazpacho is out of this world!!!! A special restaurant in our area has a delicious Gazpacho we love & I have wanted their recipe for so long. I believe yours is even going to be better!!! Mine is chilling as I text. Thank you for your fantastic recipe!!! & Thank you for making it easy too. I’ve seen some recipes where they want you to skin the tomatoes & take the seeds out, etc. I want as much of the veggie left as possible. Good fiber & vitamins!!! 😁 Thank you again. I’m new to your site, but I’m looking forward to exploring it more deeply. 🌹
You’re welcome Robert! (All of the credit really needs to go to Ina Garten/The Barefoot Contessa – it’s from one of her cookbooks.) We’re glad you found us too!
I don’t have a full-size food processor (space hog). Can the soup be made in a blender?
Hi Miriam – It probably depends on the strength of your blender. You ideally want more of a finely chopped vegetable texture than pureed (although pureed will still taste the same and will be delicious). I’d suggest pulsing each vegetable in the blender and if you need some liquid to get it to blend, use some of the tomato juice you’ll add later in the recipe. Hope that helps!