Soups are always a delicious meal option, but in the summer, it’s not really an ideal choice. That’s why gazpacho is the perfect alternative! A flavorful, chilled tomato soup that is perfect for warm weather, and can be topped with so many different things. (I usually go for croutons or fried onions and a squeeze of lime).

A lot of times gazpacho is thickened with some sort of bread, but this recipe is a bit different. It’s super yummy and super easy to make. You literally throw everything into a blender. Talk about a one-pot, err, one-blender wonder! (See what I did there?)

This gazpacho is a time-saver (both in prep and clean up) but it doesn’t skimp on flavor. This recipe would be great to make if you’re having people over for dinner. There’s no bread involved, so it’s gluten-free and also vegan, but it’s flavorful enough to satisfy any meat-eater.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs tomatoes, cut in chunks
• 1 cubanelle pepper, cut in chunks
• 1 cucumber, peeled and cut in chunks
• 1 small onion, cut in chunks
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 Tbs sherry vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Add cut up tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, onion, & garlic to the blender. Blend veggies on medium-high for 1-2 minutes.
2. While blender is running, add the vinegar, 1 tsp of salt, and slowly drizzle in the olive oil. (This helps emulsify the soup and create a nice silky texture).
3. Chill soup for 1 hour.
4. Adjust the seasoning with salt & pepper or an extra splash of vinegar when serving.

Tips:

• You can use plain white vinegar or white/red wine vinegar if you don’t have sherry vinegar. I wouldn’t recommend apple cider vinegar as it has a bit of a sweeter taste than the others.
• If you’re not a fan of raw onion, you can roast the onions in an oven at 400 for about 20 minutes beforehand. Another option would be to let the cut-up onion sit in a small bowl with a bit of lime juice and salt for about 15-20 minutes. You’d want to add only the onions to the blender afterward (not the juice). The acid in the lime juice will help to mellow out the flavor of the onion and give your soup a nice kick of citrus.
• A cubanelle pepper is perfect for this soup. It has a nice crisp citrus flavor and just a slight spice (think one baby step up from a bell pepper). If you can’t find it, a bell pepper would totally work. I would suggest yellow or orange (or even red) over green.

Let me know what you thought of this recipe, and what you chose to top it with! I’m always looking for new options.

*I recorded a video of my kids & I making this recipe. It’s over on my Instagram if you want to check it out!

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