Chilled Red Gazpacho
When summer comes, two things are certain: it’s hotter than a firecracker lit from both ends and there’s a big ‘ol pitcher of Chilled Red Gazpacho in my fridge.
Gazpacho is a chilled vegetable soup from Spain. The word gazpacho originates from the Latin word caspa, which means “little pieces,” or something like that. Chilled soup might sound a little strange if you’ve never enjoyed one.
But there are five good reasons why cold soups, like Chilled Red Gazpacho, are becoming so popular
- They’re easy to make. Most can be done in a blender or food processor.
- All the vegetables (or fruit!) that you’ll need are usually in season, so you can enjoy them anytime of the year.
- They’re the ultimate “grab-and-go” snack or meal. Fill a covered tumbler or mug with this deliciousness and sip away!
- They’re made with vegetables (and fruit!) so you know you’re doing something good for yourself.
- They’re the perfect make-ahead meal. Double the recipe and you’ll have something for dinner tonight, lunch tomorrow and a little bit left over as an appetizer for guests.
There are many types of Gazpacho, but the most familiar is this recipe for Chilled Red Gazpacho, made with fresh tomatoes. This is a perfect way to use up fresh tomatoes when they’re in season. And, if fresh tomatoes aren’t available, use canned San Marazano tomatoes. ONLY San Marazano tomatoes.
I like to serve the Chilled Red Gazpacho with finely diced tomatoes, cucumbers, red and green bell peppers and toasted bread croutons.
Red Gazpacho
prep: 30 minutes, plus chilling
serves: 8 (1 cup portions)
you’ll need…
1 slice day-old bread, crusts removed
3 cups cold water, divided
9 ripe tomatoes (about 2 pounds) cored, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped (or 1 28-ounce can of tomatoes)
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and roughly chopped
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
let’s get to it…
(You may have to do this recipe in batches if your blender or food processor is not large enough)
Soak the bread in 1-cup of the water for 5 minutes. Squeeze out the excess water and place bread in a blender or food processor.
Add the remaining water, tomatoes, red bell pepper, cucumber, garlic and vinegar. Blend or process the mixture until smooth. While the machine is running, slowly add the olive oil.
Taste the gazpacho and add salt and pepper if desired.
Refrigerate until chilled.
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Nutrition Note: For this recipe, 1 slice white bread, tap water, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp salt was accounted for in Nutrition analysis
Nutrition Facts per serving
Total Calories 104
Total Fat 7g
Saturated Fat 1g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 173mg
Total Carbohydrates 9g
Dietary Fiber 2g
Sugars 5g
Protein 2g
