This easy Gazpacho recipe is one of my favorite summer recipes. Growing up, my parents had the biggest vegetable garden. It was truly a labor of love, especially for my dad, to grow all these fresh fruits and vegetables for us. We had strawberries, zucchini, raspberries, lettuce, cucumbers, the best tomatoes and so much more. Just about every ingredient for this amazing gazpacho soup could be found in that garden, and this was a delicious recipe that my mom made.
What is Gazpacho
If you’ve never heard of it, gazpacho is a soup that originated in Southern Spain. It is made with a tomato base and a variety of fresh vegetables and served cold. It is so fresh and full of flavor, I can’t think of a more refreshing recipe on a hot summer or warm fall day.
Storing
Store leftover gazpacho in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Since it is eaten chilled, you can enjoy it right out the refrigerator. See below for how to freeze gazpacho.
Tomato juice: This is the base of gazpacho. Read more on this below. Fresh vegetables: White onion, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, and scallions all add flavor and thickness to the soup. Seasonings: A combination of garlic, lemon juice, lime juice, honey, tabasco sauce, basil, tarragon, cumin, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and pepper creates a complex flavor profile that is perfectly balanced.
Combine ingredients. Add all of your ingredients to a blender. Blend. The blending time will depend on your desired consistency. See more on this below. Chill your gazpacho. Place it in the refrigerator to fully chill before serving.
If you like some chunk to your gazpacho, make the soup in a large container and after combining, remove two cups of soup at a time to puree until you reach the desired consistency. Either way, after pureeing, you want to put your gazpacho soup in the refrigerator and chill for at least four hours. Gazpacho is served cold, and so not only does refrigerating it chill the recipe, it allows the flavors to fully combine. If you don’t have access to Spicy V8 or don’t want to buy it, then taste your soup at the end and make sure it has enough flavor for you. You can add more tabasco sauce, salt, and pepper a little at a time to liven it up. Just as sugar is the answer to the acidic tomatoes in my Easy Spaghetti Sauce, honey is the answer to the acid in this gazpacho soup recipe. I encourage you to taste this recipe before adding the honey and again after. You will be able to see how the honey changes the recipe without making it sweet. If you find that the recipe is still too acidic, you can add a little more, about a 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Given that we aren’t cooking this soup, the choice of using fresh or dried herbs is yours. I tend to use dried herbs in this soup because they are more convenient. Additionally, because we are letting this soup chill in the refrigerator, the basil and tarragon do add their flavor. That said, if you decide to use fresh herbs, you will want to double the amount listed here as dry herbs add a stronger flavor than fresh.
Freezing Gazpacho
This is a great recipe to freeze! Pour it into an airtight container (leaving some room for it to expand) and then freeze for up to three months. You can have a little taste of summer into the fall months. Thaw in the refrigerator to enjoy.
These Zucchini Muffins are perfect if your zucchini crop is overflowing. My Greek Quinoa Salad is a great way to use up your tomato and cucumbers! This Zucchini Salad is so easy but so delicious. A great way to use your zucchini and basil. And of course, this Cucumber Tomato Salad is perfection.
