Gazpacho - Cold Spanish Soup is one of my favorite "go-to" dishes, not only in the summer but all year long. Gazpacho is full of healthy tomato and vegetable goodness, and this hearty, cold Spanish soup is also quick and easy to prepare. With a food processor or vegetable chopper, you can have it on the table in ten minutes or less.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Total Time10 minutesmins
Course: Appetizer, Breakfast/Brunch, Lunch, Main Dish, Side Dish
10ouncesdiced tomatoes and green chiliesI like Rotel
2clovesgarlicchopped
4cupstomato juice
4tablespoonsred wine vinegar
1tablespoonlemon juice
1tablespoonolive oil
½teaspoonKosher salt
¼teaspoonground black pepper
Instructions
Seed and roughly chop bell peppers and add them to the bowl of a food processorRepeat this process with the cucumber and onion. You don't need to wash out the bowl of the food processor between vegetables. Pulse about eight to ten times each or until the vegetables are in small pieces.
Add the diced tomatoes, diced tomatoes and green chilies, garlic, tomato juice, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and olive oil to the bowl with the chopped vegetables. Stir and add the kosher salt and ground black pepper.
Optional: If you like things spicy, add a few drops of hot sauce.
While you can serve it immediately, it is best to serve it chilled.
Notes
I like my gazpacho chunky, but authentic gazpacho is usually pureed until it's smooth. If you prefer a smoother soup, once you make it, place it in batches in your blender and puree until smooth. Or, you can use an immersion blender to do the same thing. You can substitute fresh tomatoes for canned ones. If you do use fresh tomatoes, dice them very small and add an additional half cup of tomato juice and half a cup of water. For some crazy reason, my husband doesn't care for chilled soups. So, I have been known to heat it and call it vegetable soup. Please don't tell him it's gazpacho! This recipe, as written, is a little spicy because of the can of tomatoes and green chilis (Rotel). I use the original version. You can increase the spice factor by adding a few drops of hot sauce, or you can decrease it by using the mild version. Or, you can leave it out altogether. This recipe calls for an English or hothouse cucumber that does not need to be seeded or peeled. If you are using a regular cucumber, be sure to peel and seed it first. To do this, first, peel it and slice it in half lengthwise, then take a small spoon and scoop out the seeds and discard them.