Simple Summer Gazpacho

Let’s talk gazpacho! There are so many different variations on this chilled summer soup, but it’s culinary roots can be traced back to Spain and Portugal.

At its most basic, a gazpacho is a chilled soup made of ripe summer tomatoes blended with peppers, cucumber, shallots/onion, and garlic, and seasoned with vinegar and good olive oil. Many traditional recipes also call for some day-old bread blended in with the veggies for some extra body, though it’s totally up to you (I omit the bread as I like to keep everything veggie-centric). Some gazpachos are blended to be completely smooth, while others are part blended / part diced veggies for some extra texture and crunch.

Here is my basic recipe for gazpacho, but you totally can (and should!) get creative and make this soup your own, using whatever summer veggies/herbs/fruits you have on hand.

Simple Summer Gazpacho

INGREDIENTS

  • 3-4 lbs ripe heirloom, slicer, and/or cherry tomatoes (4-5 cups chopped)

  • 1-2 cucumbers (1-2 cups chopped)

  • 1-2 bell peppers, any color (about 1 cup chopped)

  • 1 shallot or 1/2 red onion (about 1/2 cup chopped)

  • 1 clove garlic

  • 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

  • 2 tablespoons red wine or sherry vinegar

  • 1/4 cup olive oil

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

PREPARATION

  1. Prepare your ingredients by roughly chopping all of the tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, shallot/onion, garlic, and basil and combine in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. NOTE: If you’d like some extra texture/crunch for your gazpacho, set aside some of the tomato, cucumber, bell pepper and shallot/onion and chop in a small dice, which you can add to the blended portion of the soup later.

  2. Add the vinegar, olive oil, kosher salt (start with 3/4 teaspoon), freshly ground pepper, 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves and blend all of the ingredients until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed – you may want to add more salt or vinegar to really make all the flavors pop.

  3. Stir in your diced veggies (if using) into the blended portion of the soup and chill in your fridge for 1-2 hours before enjoying (if time allows).