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Looking for a quick summer dish? Try this easy gazpacho recipe that is ready in 30 minutes or less. Perfect for hot days and packed with fresh vegetables!
Why I Love This Easy Gazpacho Recipe
If you grow tomatoes, you know that they all seem to be ready at once. That’s actually the case with a lot of fruits and vegetables grown at home. Baskets are full of summer produce that all need to be eaten at once. So, as a home cook, you must get creative and utilize what’s in season to the fullest. And that’s exactly where this easy gazpacho recipe comes into play! If you’ve never experienced the magic of gazpacho, think of it as a perfect fresh tomato soup. Packed with tomatoes harvested at their peak ripeness, the flavors are impeccable and make you think of the best parts of summer!
I was recently staying at a friend’s home located on Long Island, New York. One of their local grocers sells the most amazing gazpacho recipe, and they’ve actually become quite famous for it. All around town, you’ll hear people talking about Round Swamp Farm’s amazing gazpacho, and once I tried it, I agreed! It truly has the most fresh tomato flavor with just a bit of spice. Well, this recipe is a pretty close competitor. So if you’re looking for something to make as summer winds down, this is the one to blend up. Plus, have I mentioned how easy it is to prepare? Talk about a true one-dish meal!
Tomato Gazpacho Ingredients
Here are some of the ingredients you will need to make this gazpacho recipe:
- Tomatoes are ripe in late summer and are the perfect base for this soup. Their texture adds the right consistency and thickness, and their bright red color makes the recipe visually appealing. Plus, since this is a traditional dish in Spain, the use of tomatoes for gazpacho is a welcome requirement. Search out plum or Roma tomatoes for this recipe because of their meatier texture and lower water content.
- Bell peppers add a mild sweetness to the soup and also work to add a bit of chunky texture. If using a red bell pepper, its vibrant hue adds to the soup’s desirable color.
- Cucumbers add a refreshing, complex flavor to the soup. And since cucumbers are naturally high in water content, their use adds the desired amount of hydration to the recipe.
- Cilantro has a bright flavor that helps to add some pungency to the dish. Plus, the green color adds some visual interest when blended with all of the other ingredients. If you’re averse to cilantro, simply double up on the parsley.
- Parsley, like cilantro, adds some color and a mild flavor to the gazpacho.
- Shallots are perfect for gazpacho because they add less sharpness than onions. Once blended, the shallots’ sweet flavor and texture are just what you want.
- Garlic cloves work to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes with a bit of pungent flavor.
- Olive oil adds the required richness to the soup, along with some depth of flavor. It works to emulsify all of the ingredients and creates a delicious mouthfeel.
- Sherry vinegar, with its complex flavor, adds some tanginess to the gazpacho.
- Hot sauce spices up the soup, but not with too much heat. It’s just the right amount of spice to make the overall recipe feel complex and special.
- Worcestershire sauce is the secret ingredient that always makes any dish taste just a little bit better. Its mixture of ingredients makes everything feel richer and more flavorful.
- Tomato paste has a concentrated tomato flavor, and its use in this soup bolsters the tomato flavor overall. The thickness of the paste makes the consistency perfect once blended.
- Black pepper adds a subtle amount of spice and heat that works well with the vegetables in this soup.
- Salt enhances the flavor of anything it’s added to. So, it’s essential for tomatoes, which are notoriously mild in flavor.
How to Make Gazpacho
There are three simple steps to preparing this easy gazpacho recipe:
- Prepare the tomatoes
- Add the remaining ingredients and blend
- Chill the soup
Step 1: Prepare the tomatoes. Using a paring knife, remove the core from the center of the tomato. Cut the tomatoes into quarters. Remove any white pith and add to a canister blender.
Step 2: Add the remaining ingredients and blend. Roughly chop the cucumber. Remove the stem and seeds from the bell pepper and chop roughly. Chop the shallot and remove the husk of the garlic. Add all of the vegetables to the blender. Add the cilantro leaves, parsley leaves, sherry vinegar, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, kosher salt, black pepper, and olive oil. Place the lid on the blender and blend until smooth.
Step 3: Chill the soup. Place the soup in the refrigerator for _____ hours. Then pour it into individual bowls. If desired, drizzle with additional olive oil, and garnish with sea salt and parsley leaves.
Tips For the Best Results
- The type of tomato used in this recipe makes a huge difference. Tomatoes are the main ingredient in gazpacho, and they should be utilized when they’re at their peak freshness. This is why summer tomatoes are ideal. If summer tomatoes are not available, canned tomatoes offer a great alternative.
- When preparing the tomatoes, remove the pith if it appears pale or white. It often means it lacks the flavor of the full tomato, reducing the overall taste.
- Don’t over-blend the soup. High-powered blenders can easily break up the ingredients and begin to heat up the soup. That’s not ideal for this recipe, as the flavors of the soup are best accentuated when cold.
- If you are sensitive to texture, it may be a good idea to peel your tomatoes before adding them to the blender.
Serving and Storage Suggestions
To serve: This soup has unlimited toppings, and the sky truly is the limit! While it can be a main dish served alongside a fresh salad, it’s also wonderful as an appetizer served in small cups or shot glasses. Here are just a few suggestions of what would work really well.
- Drizzle the top of the soup with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle on some flaky sea salt. The oil will add a bit of extra richness to the soup, and the salt will add just a bit of extra flavor and briny texture.
- Drop a few croutons on top of the gazpacho when ready to serve. This ends up being a bit more like a traditional tomato soup recipe, but the texture of this gazpacho will be a welcome change. Just make sure that you don’t add the croutons on too early, or they will likely become soggy as they sit. Bonus points if you make your own homemade croutons!
- Add some fresh herbs as a finishing garnish. It’s your choice as to what herbs to add, but I prefer some parsley or cilantro to mirror what’s already in the recipe.
To store: If you have any leftovers after serving, simply store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Do not be alarmed if the soup separates as it sits; this is completely normal and expected. If this does happen, stir it to reincorporate everything together. Leftovers should last about 5 to 7 days in the refrigerator. If you would like to freeze any leftovers, place them in a freezer-safe container and place them in the freezer. When ready to enjoy, simply remove the soup from the freezer and let it defrost before serving. You will need to stir the soup together as it will likely separate as it defrosts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Roma tomatoes work best for this soup recipe because of their meaty texture and lower water content. Other tomatoes will work as well, but they may result in a thinner consistency.
Certainly, you can play with lots of herbs. If you don’t like cilantro, substitute it for a larger amount of parsley. Basil will also work, but be wary, as it can easily overpower the soup.
Nothing! This can be common mixing oil with ingredients that have a high water concentration. Simply mix the soup to incorporate all the flavors.
More Summer Recipes to Make
- Fresh tomato galette
- Greek turkey burgers
- French potato salad
- Tomato and sweet corn pasta
- Zucchini parmesan
- Roasted tomato pasta
- Chicken zucchini meatballs
- Sungold tomato pasta bake
Watch How to Make This Recipe
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Gazpacho
Ingredients
- 2 lb ripe red tomatoes
- 1 large red bell pepper
- 1 ½ cups chopped English cucumber
- 2 small shallots peeled
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ tbsp tomato paste
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp hot sauce
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables. Core the tomatoes, then cut them into quarters. Slice open the red bell pepper, remove the seeds and pith, and roughly chop it. Cut the cucumber in half and then into pieces. Peel the shallots and roughly slice them. Peel the garlic.2 lb ripe red tomatoes, 1 large red bell pepper, 1 ½ cups chopped English cucumber, 2 small shallots, 2 cloves garlic
- Blend the soup. In the blender canister, combine the tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber, shallot, garlic, vinegar, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, salt, black pepper, hot sauce, olive oil, parsley, and cilantro. Blend until mostly smooth.2 tbsp sherry vinegar, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 ½ tbsp tomato paste, 1 ½ tsp kosher salt, ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper, 1 tbsp hot sauce, ⅓ cup olive oil, ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Chill the soup. Pour the soup into an airtight container and chill for 4-6 hours before serving. To serve, drizzle each serving with olive oil.
