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Andalusian gazpacho is the classic cold Spanish soup that the world can’t get enough of, and for good reason. Here’s how to make a super-flavorful, beautifully balanced, silky batch of this dreamy soup.
Why we love this recipe
Gazpacho really needs no introduction. When you’ve got a lot of ripe fresh tomatoes on hand, it quickly becomes both the question and the answer.
This recipe:
- Has a great balance of flavors and a smooth, perfectly emulsified texture
- Is vegan and packed with veggies
- Uses up a ton of summer produce
- Doesn’t require any cooking
- Uses the classic technique of adding bread and olive oil to create a creamy soup
It will transport you right to a tapas bar in southern Spain.
What you’ll need
Here’s all you need to make this cold Spanish soup recipe.
- Beautiful, ripe tomatoes. I’ll just say it: if your tomatoes aren’t great, don’t bother making Andalusian gazpacho.
- Bell pepper. Green pepper is the most traditional choice for cold Spanish soup, but you can use any color you like.
- For the bread, you want something basic. A piece of white sandwich bread or baguette with the crust removed is great. Embarrassingly, I used half a potato roll here because it’s what I had on hand. I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to use one, but even that was 100% fine.
- For the olive oil, use something fruity and good-quality (though it doesn’t have to be over-the-top amazing). I use my regular extra-virgin olive oil blend.
- For the onion, I’m equally partial to red onion and shallot.
How to make it
This no-cook recipe really couldn’t be easier. Here’s what you’ll do. You can see all the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post.
- Chop all the vegetables and place them in a large mixing bowl. // When coring the tomatoes, you can leave the seeds in. They are full of umami flavor, and any rough bits will get strained out before serving. // Stir in salt and the bread pieces and let it all sit together for 30 minutes.
- Pour the contents of the bowl into the blender and process until smooth. You can use any blender for this, but we especially love our Vitamix.
- With the blender running, stream in the olive oil and vinegar until everything is creamy and emulsified.
- Strain the soup through a fine-mesh sieve. Let it chill and then serve. That’s it!
Expert tips and FAQs
In-season, beautifully ripe tomatoes are the only tomatoes to use for gazpacho. Don’t bother with pale supermarket tomatoes that have been shipped across the country.
But as long as they’re juicy and flavorful, you can really use any variety of tomatoes, from traditional plum tomatoes to heirloom breeds.
Tossing the vegetables with salt and letting it sit for a bit makes the end result more flavorful. The salt draws some of the flavorful liquids out of the veggies and essentially gives your tastebuds access to more of the flavor.
Yup! It’s an age-old part of traditional Andalusian gazpacho that contributes to this vegan soup’s perfect creamy consistency.
Yup, you can make it early in the day and let it chill in the fridge to serve in the evening.
You can store this soup in the fridge for up to three days.
How to serve it
In Spain, Andalusian gazpacho is sometimes served in a wine glass to sip. I like to serve it in wide, shallow bowls garnished with some finely chopped tomato, pepper, and/or cucumber and maybe a few parsley leaves or chives.
This soup makes a nice, light starter or lunch, and it’s great paired with other tapas at a party. Try:
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Cold Spanish Soup // Andalusian Gazpacho
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (709 grams) ripe tomatoes, cored and chopped
- ½ pound (227 grams) bell pepper, seeded and chopped (about one medium)
- ½ pound (227 grams) cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped (about one medium)
- ½ small red onion or 1 medium shallot, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 ounce (28 grams) crustless white bread (about one slice), torn into pieces
- ¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) sherry vinegar
Instructions
- Into a large bowl, place the chopped tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, onion, garlic, salt, and bread.
- Stir thoroughly to distribute the salt.
- Let sit for 30 minutes, so that the salt infuses the vegetables and begins to draw out some of their moisture.
- Pour all contents of the bowl into a blender and process until smooth.
- With the blender running, stream in the olive oil and vinegar and continue blending until creamy.
- Rinse and dry the original mixing bowl and set a fine-mesh strainer overtop. Pour the soup through the strainer into the bowl, stirring and pressing with a large spoon or silicone spatula.
- Chill gazpacho for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- To garnish, if you like, drizzle with additional olive oil and/or sherry vinegar and top with finely diced tomato, pepper, and/or cucumber, and maybe a few leafy herbs (parsley, cilantro, and chives would work well).
Notes
- To core the tomatoes, remove the stem end and any tough bits in the center. You can leave the seeds — they’re full of umami, and any rough parts will get strained out before serving.
- Strictly speaking, green bell peppers are traditional. I often use a combination of green and red. You can use any color.
- For the bread, use something soft and mild. You can use a piece of white sandwich bread, a piece of baguette with the crust removed,
- You can make this recipe in any blender, but we love love love our Vitamix.
- You can make this soup in the morning and keep it chilled until dinnertime.
- Store leftovers tightly sealed in the fridge for up to three days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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