Ok, I’ll admit: When I first tried gazpacho, I didn’t know what to expect…and I really didn’t get it. Soup that’s cold?? But I promise, I was surprised…I actually did love it. :-) This Summertime Gazpacho Recipe is adapted from my friend Robin’s recipe. She is a vegan running blogger who is totally amazing — she’s a powerhouse of athletic prowess and she’s a fantastic cook!

I highly recommend you check out her website Knead to Cook, if you love healthy, vegan recipes (or running!:).

What is Gazpacho?

Gazpacho is basically a cold, tomato-based soup. As I said, having cold soup can be really weird at first, if you’ve never had it before, but trust me, it grows on you.

Traditionally:

“Gazpacho is a soup made of raw vegetables and served cold, usually with a tomato base, originating in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia. Gazpacho is widely eaten in Spain and neighboring Portugal, particularly during the hot summers, as it is refreshing and cool.

Gazpacho has ancient roots. There are a number of theories of its origin, including as a soup of bread, olive oil, water and garlic that arrived in Spain and Portugal with the Romans and also with the addition of vinegar. Once in Spain, it became a part of Andalusian cuisine, particularly Córdoba and Seville, using stale bread, garlic, olive oil, salt, and vinegar, similar to ajoblanco.

There are many modern variations of gazpacho, often in different colors and omitting the tomatoes and bread in favor of avocados, cucumbers, parsley, watermelon, grapes, meat stock, seafood, and other ingredients.”

The version I am sharing is a so-super-healthy version that you could eat absolutely unlimited quantities (I love that kinda stuff!) and it’s got really amazing, refreshing flavor. It is completely nutritarian, so eat away!! :-D

It really is the perfect fresh meal especially during this time of the year when the ingredients are super flavorful and in season…and it’s actually very versatile.

You can even just use it as a salsa, as a dip for veggies, as a sauce on a sandwich or even a salad dressing! It’s perfect for picnics or even as a light portable meal, if you bring it, for instance, in a mason jar to work.

Just keep it in the fridge, grab a spoon and eat it right out of the jar!

What’s the difference between Gazpacho and Salsa?

So if you look at the history of the dish and the way that it was made traditionally, with bread and oil and sometimes meat, it is easy to see the difference.

Salsa just means “sauce” in Spanish, so that refers to a larger group of anything that’s used as a sort of condiment…

Whereas gazpacho is actually a soup used for coldness and freshness during the summer months. When we talk about salsa in the US, we are talking about a pretty specific thing used in our cuisine, mostly for dipping chips at a restaurant before a Mexican or Spanish meal or at family gatherings as an appetizer of sorts…

…but in Spain, though it may have similar ingredients and be served cold, gazpacho is a different kind of traditional dish with different origins.

…very yummy, delicious origins… :-P

Check out the quick video for how to make it:

Summertime Gazpacho Recipe Video

Summertime Gazpacho Recipe

 

Print

Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

A fantastic cold soup, gazpacho can be used as a salsa, salad dressing, or sauce as well!

Author: cheri

Serves: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 large European cucumber, chopped
• ¼ large red onion, chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 large jalapeño, deseeded and chopped (add the seeds if you love heat!)
• 2 pounds ripe tomatoes, chopped (any kind)
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• juice of 1 lime

Instructions

1. To a food processor, add all ingredients except the vinegars and lime and process until desired chunkiness. (I prefer chunky!) You can do this in separate batches of ingredients at a time, and mix together at the end.
2. Add the vinegar and lime juice and stir to combine. Store extra in airtight freezer containers, and thaw the night before when ready to eat.

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Have you ever had gazpacho before??