This post first appeared a few years ago.
It is hot here in Vermont, really hot, and the heat wave has settled on much of the country. Let’s hear it for no-heat cooking for a while.
In just a few minutes, you can have a stash of chilled summer soup waiting for you on these hot summer days!
it got hot and humid, in the high 90s (36 C.) just when we all wanted to work in the garden!
This is when I look for a cold lunch or dinner, salads or chilled soups fill the bill, and gazpacho is one of our favorites. It’s a snack. It’s lunch. Dress it up just a bit, and it’s dinner or a starter. And, it only takes moments to prepare, no cooking, all in the blender, no time.
Of course, it’s best to serve cold food on chilled dishes, and hot food on warmed dishes!
Gazpacho, is traditionally a Spanish soup made with stale bread or nuts whirled in a mix of tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, peppers, onions, oil and vinegar, . However, many prefer it without the bread for a cleaner, fresher flavor (I’m included in that), and I don’t use nuts because of food allergies in the family.
Half a gallon of delicious
This recipe makes exactly enough to fill a two-quart canning jar for easy storage in the refrigerator. No cook, little measuring, and you have instant meals for a few days! All you need to do is feed raw foods into the blender or food processor, chill, and that’s it.
Process this to your own desired state, an extremely smooth puree, or a soup with lots of texture. If you want it chunky, process the garlic and onion in the tomato juice first so that they are less apparent in the final product and dispersed more evenly. No one wants to bite into a big chunk of raw garlic.
Use any tomato you have in abundance whether cherry, plum, or big meaty beefsteak.
If you don’t have enough fresh tomatoes yet, use a can of organic San Marzano whole tomatoes. I often want this once the weather turns really hot but before the local tomatoes start making their appearance.
I have included approximations here, but this is one of those dishes that really is about technique and not precise measurements. If you have a lot of tomatoes, use more, if you love cucumbers, add more of those. No onions? Use scallions or leeks. What else do you have on hand? Arugula (yum)? Chard or spinach greens?
Look for all organic veggies from your farmers market or farm stand. They will be the freshest, and the most delicious!
Make it your own! If you love the flavor of peppers the best, increase the amount. You can also make this with or without the cucumbers. I like it spicy, so I use two hot peppers with their seeds, and usually add a bit of cayenne as well. You can omit them if you don’t want the heat, remove the seeds, or increase it, or use a hotter pepper. Just taste as you go and make it yours.
You don’t have to be precise here in your chopping, just rough is fine since it will be all processed, so don’t fiddle, just get them small enough to blend but large enough to not be tiring. In this heat, you need to conserve your energy.
To take the flavor one step further, grill all the veggies first, then process. This is how I often do it, tossing on extra veggies while the grill is hot. The smoky flavor is amazing.
Spicy Summer Gazpacho
- 1 cup organic tomato or vegetable juice, low sodium
- 1 quart chopped plum tomatoes
- OR 1 28-oz can tomatoes and their juice, chopped
- 1 sweet onion, such as Vidalia, chopped
- 1 English cucumber, all parts
- 1 large red bell pepper
- 1 stalk celery
- 1-2 Serrano or Jalapeño peppers, seeds optional
- ¼ cup parsley or cilantro
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup sherry or cider vinegar
- ½ tsp. cumin
- ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper, optional
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- Freshly ground pepper
Put more of less of everything in the food processor or blender and process until the desired consistency. If your blender is small, you may have to do this in two batches.
Chill at least four hours. Adjust seasoning after it has set; you might need more salt. Served in chilled bowls or glasses!
Dress up for dinner: This makes a lovely dinner with a little pile of Maine crabmeat nestled on top – our family’s favorite –– or a succulent grilled shrimp or two! Roasted tofu is quite at home in this soup as well, as is a nice little mound of more cucumbers.
© Copyright 2021– or current year, The New Vintage Kitchen, Dorothy Grover-Read. Unattributed use of this material is strictly prohibited. Reposting and links may be used, provided that credit is given to The New Vintage Kitchen, with active link and direction to this original post.
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Great idea! Thank you for remembering, and the very useful recipe! Have a beautiful week! Michael
Thank you Michael! I always think of gazpacho when the temperature hits 90 degrees! You have a lovely week as well, and please stay cool!
Yeah! For sure a very great idea. Now it seems we are going closer to these temperatures, here too. What a Siberian desaster, the last months. 😉 Thank you also for your wishes, Dorothy! Enjoy a beautiful rest of the week! hugsx
Enjoy your week at the weather it brings along the way! XXOO
Thank you, Dorothy! Have a beautiful weekend as well. xx Michael
LOVE this! and thanks for the reminder to make this wonderful, refreshing soup. I like the shrimp served with it, too!
Thanks Mimi! Gazpacho time is upon us! The shrimp is one of my favorite additions, although I love it with crab as well.
A beautiful refreshing lunch entree or as you said an elegant starter for dinner.
Thanks Bernadette! It’s a handy and easy recipe!
Looks like a refreshing and flavourful soup.
Thanks Sowmya! It is indeed both! Cool and full of flavor.
One of my favorite summer soups. I do add bread to it, but would be happy with any version, let alone your spicy one, not to mention the grilled shrimp on the side! 🙂
It is such a versatile and easy soup, and every can modify it the way they like!
I make this all summer long, plus green and white gazpacho
Cool! I mean that both literally and figuratively!
😎
Delicious!
Thank you! It’s really tasty, and perfect when you don’t want something heavy on a hot day.
I definitely want to make this. So refreshing! Thanks for sharing!
You are welcome Azilde! It’s a fun and delicious recipe.
I’m not a cold soup person, but this post brings back good memories. Back at least twenty years ago, we had a fun loving neighbor. He was quite proud of his gazpacho recipe and would always bring some over to us. 🙂
Ah, I love it when a recipe sparks a nice memory like this!
I’ve liked gazpacho ever since Campbell Soups offered it back in the 70s. Sadly, not everyone did since they stopped making it soon after. Yours looks fabulous. Now I want a bowl. 🍃🍅🥒🌶🌿
I don’t remember Campbells making a gazpacho! That would be a collectors item just about now!
Except I would’ve already eaten it. 🤣
😀
I haven’t seen Gaspacho on the menu in a long time, it is a great summer soup! I love the way you’ve garnished it, beautiful presentation!
Jenna
I love tomatoes juice but I don’t know why I never liked the idea of Gazpacho…still, reading and seeing the pictures sounds good…hmmm…I think I must reconsider the idea ☺️
Give it a try, only maybe order it out to start so you don’t end up with a half gallon of something you don’t like!
Hahaha…good idea 😉
😋. Lovely weekend
To you too!
Oh, I will definitely make this soup this summer! I like the additions of seafood! Thanks!
Great, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Nice to have handy for a quick lunch or snack!
This sounds great on a hot day!
Glad it’s that time of year again.
So glad! I’m planning lots of chilled soups.
gazpacho is so tasty and perfect for summer. but it’s winter here so i won’t be making it for a while. delish with a bit of prosciutto or serrano ham too.
It is perfect for summer; cooking seasonally is so rewarding. Winter soups are among my favorite dishes!
Sounds delicious. I have never tried making it but I might have to once my garden is producing!
Thank you, it really is tasty, and I love having a large jar tucked in the refrigerator for a quick lunch or snack, A great way to use those cukes and peppers!
I don’t know about cukes but I will have tomatoes and peppers galore!
Ooh I’ve tried making gazpacho but it’s always with bread. Maybe I’ll try without bread to make it taste fresher. This is very appropriate as it is 106 degrees where I live.
106! Oh my!!!! You’ll probably want to eat everything chilled!!!! Do give it a try. I find it too heavy and sort of pasty with the bread, but I love it without.
Gaspacho makes for such a refreshing meal on a hot day. It seems to cool you down with each spoonful.
Yes, it sure does! And gazpacho always feels like a healthy boost!
I’ve never had Gazpacho! I bet it’s amazing with shrimp! I do love spicy 😋
Ah, then I think you’d like this on a hot summer’s night!
This soup has always been a favorite and your recipoe looks extra special.
Thank you Jovina! It’s a great recipe to have in the arsenal!
This sounds very nice, Dorothy. It is winter here now and I am making hot soups. I shall put this on my FB page so I can find it for the summer.
Thanks Robbie! I hope you enjoy this NEXT summer, but until then, enjoy the delightful winter soups.
Thank you so much. I was just looking for a good gazpacho recipe. It is getting into the 30s Celsius here in Spain!
Yes, gazpacho is definitely on the menu!
I don’t know how I missed this recipe last week, but I sure love gazpacho! It’s all the best flavors of the garden in one satisfying spoonful! Yum.
And so easy!
That looks absolutely delicious.
Thank you! Perfect on a hot summer day!
One of my favorite foods!! Love to add seafood and avocados to it. So delicious and healthy!
Thanks! Avocados are great in a gazpacho, and I love the seafood as well, especially shrimp or crab!
This looks delicious. I love the shrimp, reminds me of a spicy Bloody Mary !
Thank you! We love it with the shrimp, and it does remind me of a Bloody Mary!
What a unique and flavorful soup! Perfect for post Covid and lighter eating during Summer. I must try your method. Have an awesome day!♥️
You too!
Mmmm! I do love gazpacho with some beautiful boiled shrimp on the side for dipping. So good! 🍤
And no cooking!
A definite bonus in this heat!
I’m glad you re-posted this. As much as I love some dishes, like gazpacho, they can leave the rotation list and I forget about them. Now gazpacho is on my “to make soon” list. Thanks.
I do the same thing! This was a reminder to myself, too!!
Great to see this tasty recipe again! Gazpacho is such a wonderful summer dish. 🙂
Thanks my friend! Keep cool!
A summer staple and I do love tomatoes time to make some more gazpacho thank you for the reminder 🙂
I know! It’s funny, but it usually takes a wicked hot day for me to remember to start the routine!
I make this regularly during summer – so refreshing
It really is, and is so easy to make too.
Whipped up a batch this morning
👍
I can’t do spicy any more, but I adore gazpacho. Making it with all the farm-fresh vegetables is such a treat.
Nothing better on a hot summers day!
Gazpacho is so refreshing and surprisingly satisfying! I’m with you on no-heat cooking, too. We’ve been in the 80s and 90s as well, and no rain for a couple weeks with at least ten more days to go. My poor grass… 🫤
It’s been a bit dry here too, a few showers now and then, but we are due for rain the rest of the week. 93 degrees with dew points in the 70s, high humidity making it feel like 100! No cooking here!
Summer’s fabulous produce is beginning to come in, and this is the perfect recipe to celebrate with, Dorothy! Yummy!
Is still sounds delicious! I’m glad you shared it again Dorothy!
Prompted my own memory!
Really delightful! One of my favorite Summer foods.
It’s so refreshing and flavorful!
One of my all time favorite soups, especially during the summer. Two of the best I ever had were in the Dominican Republic and believe it or not in Germany. Your version sounds spicy and delicious/
Thanks! It’s a really delicious, simple treat!
Another great recipe Dorothy!
Thank you Lillie!
We make a lot gazpacho here in Florida-Its almost a staple! Tomato based gazpacho to fruit gazpachos. These are perfect cold soups for the dog days of summer.
Your spicy gazpacho looks fabulous. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Velva! It’s great to have a big jar of this in the refrigerator!
This Gazpacho sounds like the perfect way to use all those summer tomatoes!
Yes! Everything happens all at once! The tomatoes, and peppers, and cucumbers!
I’m so sorry to hear about your experience.
I like the flexibility of this recipe! A great way to use up what you have in the fridge.
Oh, it sure is! One of my favorites in the hot weather here, make a big batch and just dole it out a cup at a time.