Gazpacho Soup with Fresh Salsa and Crunchy Croutons
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Indulge in a delicious and refreshing gazpacho soup – a chilled, tomato-based delight bursting with fresh flavours. Beat the summer heat and nourish your taste buds with this easy-to-make dish using readily available ingredients.
Gazpacho soup is a traditional Spanish dish known for its refreshing and chilled nature. It is typically made with a blend of fresh vegetables such as ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, onions, and garlic. These ingredients are combined and pureed to create a smooth and vibrant soup. Gazpacho is often seasoned with olive oil, vinegar (such as sherry or red wine), and various herbs and spices for added flavour. It is served cold and popular in the summer as a refreshing appetizer or light meal. This soup is not only delicious but also a great way to enjoy the goodness of fresh vegetables available in abundance in the summer. Not to mention -> #lessfoodwaste to clear out your fridge.
If you find yourself with seasoned (or unseasoned) croutons on hand (like me), they make a perfect addition to the soup, but don’t worry; day-old or slightly stale bread works just as well. These croutons or bread add texture and play a crucial role in thickening the cold soup, so do not overlook this essential step! The salsa is optional. I had extra veggies on hand and made salsa for an extra crunch factor.
*Good To Know*
- Why add bread/croutons to the blended soup?
For almost any hot soup I make, I like to thicken it with some starch to give it a hearty texture. Since there is no cooking involved for this soup, the bread or croutons act as the starch to thicken it while it rests in the fridge. You can substitute gluten-free bread or croutons if you are gluten sensitive. - Is this a make-ahead friendly recipe?
Yes, it is! It can be prepared ahead of time in just two simple steps using a blender or food processor. Whether you want to save time or plan for an upcoming gathering, you can make this soup 2 hours to 24 hours in advance. You’ll only need to wait for the chilling part, but it’s well worth the wait! Not to mention the soup will develop more flavour while you let it rest.
Ingredients you will need:
For the soup:
- medium ripe tomatoes (preferably on the vine)
- English cucumber
- bell pepper (any colour is fine, I used red)
- fresh garlic
- white or red shallot (1/4 of a large onion works too)
- croutons or day-old white bread
- sherry or red wine vinegar
- seasonings: salt, black pepper, sugar
- extra virgin olive oil
For the salsa:
- vegetables from above (tomatoes, cucumber, pepper)
- fresh curly (or flat-leaf) parsley
- fresh mint
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 lemon (juiced)
How to prepare ingredients for the soup
To prepare the cucumber, start by peeling it. Then, cut it in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to core and remove the seeds by scraping them out. Chop cucumber into 2 inch pieces.
Rinse the red bell pepper, then cut it in half. Use a paring knife to cut around the base of the pepper to remove the seeds and stem. Flip the pepper over and use a spoon to tap out the seeds. Divide pepper halves into wedges and cut them into large 2-inch cubes.
Tip
- Instead of hot tomato soup, try this cold gazpacho paired with grilled cheese sandwich!
- Using fresh, ripe tomatoes ensures you get ultimate flavour. I like using tomatoes on the vine but you can also use sweet cherry tomatoes or heirloom/plum tomatoes.
How to create gazpacho soup in 5 minutes
Make the vegetable salsa in the meantime
While the soup is cooling, you can create the salsa by finely dicing the tomato, red bell pepper, and cucumber. Follow the same preparation method as you did for the soup by rinsing and removing the seeds. If desired, you can leave the cucumber unpeeled. Finely chop flat-leaf parsley and mint, and incorporate them into the diced vegetables. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon, season with salt to taste, and drizzle some extra virgin olive oil. Use a spoon to mix all the ingredients together thoroughly, then cover and refrigerate the salsa. When serving, accompany the soup with chilled salsa and a few additional croutons. You can also drizzle some extra olive oil on the soup if desired. Enjoy!
Gazpacho Soup with Fresh Salsa and Crunchy Croutons
Ingredients
- 1 cup seasoned (or unseasoned) croutons or 1 slice of day-old white bread
- 2 pounds ripe Tomatoes on the vine (approx. 12 tomatoes) rinsed, seeds removed & roughly chopped
- ½ large English cucumber peeled, seeds removed & roughly chopped
- 1 cup red bell pepper (approx. 1 pepper) rinsed, seeds/stem removed & roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic peeled, hard stem trimmed off
- 1 large red or white shallot or 1/4 large onion (red or white), peeled & roughly chopped
- 2 Tablespoons Sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt or 1 teaspoon Table salt
- 2 teaspoons white sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large ripe tomato on the vine rinsed, seeds removed & finely diced
- ½ large English cucumber rinsed & finely diced
- ½ cup red bell pepper (approx. 1/2 a pepper) rinsed, seeds/stem removed & finely diced
- 2 Tablespoons flat leaf parsley rinsed & finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon fresh mint rinsed, leafs finely chopped
- ½ large lemon juiced
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt or 1/4 teaspoon Table salt
Method
- Add croutons to food processor (or blender), then give them a few quick pulsates to break them down (approx. 15 pulses). This step can be skipped if you're using a blender or stale bread.
- Next, add the remaining prepared ingredients to the processor or blender—tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, garlic, shallot (or onion), sherry vinegar, salt, sugar, and ground black pepper. Blend everything for a few minutes until you achieve a smooth, blended mixture.
- With the machine running at medium-high speed, slowly drizzle in the olive oil to create a creamy and emulsified soup.
- Transfer the soup to an airtight container or bowl, cover it up, and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours to allow the flavours to meld together.
- Combine finely diced ingredients in a large mixing bowl (tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, flat-leaf parsley & mint).
- Add lemon juice, salt and extra virgin olive oil to the vegetables. Use a spoon to mix all the ingredients together, then cover and refrigerate the salsa
- When serving, accompany the soup with the chilled salsa and a few additional croutons. You can also drizzle some extra olive oil on the soup if desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Notes
Suggestion:
- Instead of hot tomato soup, try this cold gazpacho paired with grilled cheese sandwich!
- Using fresh, ripe tomatoes ensures you get ultimate flavour. I like using tomatoes on the vine but you can also use sweet cherry tomatoes or heirloom/plum tomatoes.
