Authentic Spanish Gazpacho

Calling all you *lazy* cooks out there! And by *lazy* I mean you are our enjoying summer and too busy to be bothered with cooking an elaborate meal. SAME.

If this sounds like you, then how about a meal that can be made in a blender? That’s why I LOVE gazpacho and its in my summertime meal rotation. Slice up a few ingredients, throw them in your blender and your meal is ready.

Making Authentic Gazpacho

I have always loved gazpacho and have been fortunate to have gazpacho in Spain. I hate when I go to restaurants and they serve “gazpacho” that tastes like tomato sauce served out of a can. A few key ingredients and steps are necessary to make the perfect gazpacho:

• Sherry vinegar – Sherry vinegar is made in Spain. Look for a high-quality vinegar (Vinagre de Jerez)
• Ripe tomatoes – Use the ripest vine tomatoes you can find. Fortunately during the summer tomatoes are in-season. I used beautiful heirloom tomatoes I found at the farmer’s market.
• Cucumber – Taste your cucumber to ensure it is not bitter. If you blend a bitter cucumber you will get a bitter gazpacho.
• Chill – Plan ahead and make sure the soup has at least 4 hours to chill. Gazpacho must be cold. Letting the soup chill overnight lets the flavors come together.
• Green pepper and Spanish onion – Most authentic gazpacho recipes use GREEN peppers and the yellow Spanish onion. I used red peppers and onions as a garnish for photography purposes and because that’s what I had left after making the soup.
• High-quality olive oil – Always use a high-quality, first cold press, extra virgin olive oil. Use oil made from Spanish olives if you really want to get authentic!

I love chopping up some additional vegetables for garnish and serving with freshly baked whole grain bread. I’ve served this as an appetizer or have eaten has a meal on a hot day or even a mid-afternoon snack!

Authentic Spanish Gazpacho

Print Recipe

Authentic Spanish gazpacho is the perfect appetizer or light meal on a hot day! 

• Author: Jeannine
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 4 cups

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 pounds ripe tomatoes
• 1 small 1/2 pound cucumber, peeled and seeded
• 1 medium green pepper
• 1/2 small Spanish yellow onion (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 small garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tablespoons high-quality olive oil
• 1–2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar (NOT Sherry wine!)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 thick slice of bread, soaked in water with crusts removed
• OPTIONAL: 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 

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Instructions

• Chop the tomatoes, pepper and cucumber into quarter inch pieces. 
• Sqeeze water out of bread 
• Add all of the ingredients to blender, including seasonings. 
• Blend 1 or 2 minutes until desired consistency. 
• Chill for at least 4 hours.
• Serve cold and add optional garnish!

Notes

• Omit cumin if you don’t love the taste
• Use 1 tablespoon of vinegar if you prefer your gazpacho less acidic 

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cup
• Calories: 145
• Fat: 7
• Carbohydrates: 25
• Fiber: 4
• Protein: 3.5