Chilled Tomato Gazpacho (Printable Version)

A vibrant Spanish chilled soup with ripe tomatoes, fresh vegetables, and herbs. Perfect for summer dining.

# What You Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 28 oz ripe tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
02 - 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
03 - 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
04 - 1 small red onion, peeled and chopped
05 - 2 garlic cloves, peeled
06 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley or cilantro, roughly chopped

→ Liquids & Oils

07 - 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
08 - 2 tbsp sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
09 - 1 cup cold water

→ Seasonings

10 - 1 tsp sea salt, or to taste
11 - ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

→ Optional Garnishes

12 - Diced cucumber
13 - Diced red bell pepper
14 - Chopped fresh herbs
15 - Croutons (omit for gluten-free)
16 - Drizzle of olive oil

# How-To:

01 - Place the tomatoes, cucumber, red bell pepper, onion, garlic, and parsley or cilantro into a blender or food processor. Blend until mostly smooth, leaving some texture if desired.
02 - Add the olive oil, vinegar, cold water, salt, and pepper to the blender. Blend again until all ingredients are thoroughly combined and the mixture is uniform.
03 - Taste the gazpacho and adjust seasoning as needed. Add an extra splash of vinegar for brightness or a little more water to thin the consistency to your preference.
04 - For a smoother, more refined texture, pass the soup through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing with a spatula to extract as much liquid as possible. This step is optional.
05 - Transfer the gazpacho to a covered container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until completely chilled and the flavors have melded together.
06 - Stir the gazpacho well before serving. Ladle into chilled bowls and top with your choice of diced cucumber, diced red bell pepper, chopped herbs, croutons, or a drizzle of olive oil.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • No cooking required, so your kitchen stays cool and you stay happy on blazing afternoons.
  • It uses raw vegetables at peak ripeness, which means the flavor does all the heavy lifting for you.
  • The soup actually improves as it sits in the fridge, making it the perfect make ahead meal.
02 -
  • Underripe tomatoes will make the whole batch taste flat, so buy the softest, most fragrant ones you can find or wait another day.
  • The soup tastes dramatically different once fully chilled, so never judge the seasoning while it is still at room temperature.
03 -
  • Adding a small slice of stale bread while blending creates a creamier, more traditional texture but skip it if you need the soup to stay gluten free.
  • Serve the bowls chilled from the refrigerator rather than at room temperature, because even ten minutes on the counter dulls the refreshing impact.

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