Summer Gazpacho
When it's too hot to cook, grab some tomatoes and make this cool soup.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Creamy, cool, and made with one of summer’s standout ingredients, this Summer Gazpacho is the soup you’re going to want to make on repeat all season long. It’s perfect for days when you’re craving soup but don’t want a piping hot bowl of anything when temperatures increase. Perfectly chilled and totally simple to make, it’s also one of the easiest meals to turn to on hot, busy evenings (or, if you prep it in advance, a super speedy lunch).
The base of this cool soup is Roma tomatoes. While heirloom tomatoes get a lot of attention during the summer, the difference is really in how they’re grown and how they develop flavor. Heirloom tomatoes breed true, which means that their seeds can be saved to grow new tomatoes. While regular tomatoes, like the Roma variety, are grown to look round and appealing, heirlooms are grown for flavor.
The key to a good summer-ready gazpacho is making it creamy. To achieve the creamiest soup, use a high-powered blender. The finer and longer you blend, the more air is incorporated into the mix.
Gazpacho is relatively flexible, but one thing almost everyone agrees on is that it’s delicious with a slice of quality artisan bread. You can’t go wrong with a baguette, ciabatta, focaccia or brioche. Other sides that pair perfectly with gazpacho are crab cakes, home fries, rice and beans, fried okra and more.
For more cooling summertime gazpacho recipes, try:
Summer Gazpacho
Ingredients
- 2 lb ripe Roma tomatoes, cored and chopped + more for garnish
- 1 medium red pepper, cored and chopped
- ½ English cucumber, peeled and chopped
- ½ small red onion, peeled
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
- ½ tsp salt and pepper, each
- chopped heirloom tomatoes, chives, basil and olive oil, for garnish
Preparation
1. Combine ingredients in a high-speed blender. Purée for 1 minute, until smooth.
2. Refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours, until gazpacho is completely chilled.Â
3. To serve, top with heirloom tomatoes, chives, basil and a drizzle of olive oil, if desired.Â