New Recipe: Green Gazpacho to Outshine All Other Gazpachos

New Recipe: Green Gazpacho to Outshine All Other Gazpachos

Green gazpacho is a welcome departure from your favorite chilled summer soup.

Conventional wisdom tells us that soup is for winter and salad is for summer. But then gazpacho had to go and mess with that: soup that's served in the summer. It's basically a salad in soup form, but it's much more delicious than you'd think, from that description. Give this soup a try and gazpacho will soon be part of your must-serve summer supper.

While gazpacho is the soup that bridges the gap between the seasons, making gazpacho is also a mind-blowing cooking experience because it's so simple yet the process yields a rich and filling vegan soup that's enjoyed by herbivores and carnivores alike. However, at Yummly, we're not bound by standard approaches to recipes, so we took a page from the unconventional cookbook and played with the traditional ingredients for a few unexpected flavors for this gazpacho recipe.

Traditional Gazpacho

Traditional gazpacho comes from the town of Andalusia in Spain. It's not far from the Costa del Sol, which means it was designed for a hot climate, hence its chilly presentation. Because Andalusia is surrounded by olive groves, the original gazpacho was just a blend of olive oil, pieces of bread, garlic, and vinegar, but it's gone through several iterations to form what we know as gazpacho today — a cold tomato soup. A typical recipe is a puree of ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, red onion, garlic cloves, red wine vinegar, stale bread, and olive oil. Prep work and prep time are minimal; everything is roughly chopped before going in the food processor for a few pulses. As the mixture chills, the flavors from the fresh ingredients play off each other, showcasing the ripe summer produce unaltered by cooking.

Green Gazpacho made with celery, garlic, bread, olive oil, celery, and green grapes

Photo by Brittany Conerly for Yummly

Green Gazpacho

Like traditional gazpacho, this green gazpacho relies on the natural flavors from summer-ripened fruits and vegetables, but it deviates slightly from the common ingredients. For the soup's base, we depend on cucumbers and celery, but the intriguing part of this recipe is in the green grapes, an addition that is not entirely uncommon in Andalusia. They give it a light sweetness which is balanced out by the acid from the sherry vinegar. The raw garlic gives the soup a slight sting, and along with a drizzle of olive oil and bread as a thickener, the blend reminds you you're eating soup and not slurping a smoothie. And don't worry: We didn't skip tomatoes altogether! We included it in relish mixed with diced cucumbers, grapes, and a little bit of jalapeño that you top the soup with before serving.

Adjustments and Substitutions

There are a few adjustments you can make to this recipe if you don't have all the ingredients or you want to use the veggies you have on hand.

Toppings: You don't have to top your soup with the relish. If you want to keep it simple, you can mince cilantro or chives to sprinkle on the soup just before serving. If you have extra bread, you can cut it into cubes and bake or fry them for croutons as your topping. Sour cream and avocado slices also make excellent garnishes.

Bread: The type of bread you use is up to you, but some types are better than others. White bread has a better texture for gazpacho than whole wheat, but the bread with the best flavor for it is French bread.

Gluten Free: This recipe is best made with bread, but if you have a gluten intolerance or sensitivity, you can leave out the bread and it will still be delicious.

Vinegar: Vinegar is the acid that offsets rich textures and flavors (like the olive oil and bread), but you don't have to use sherry vinegar. White wine vinegar or red wine vinegar also work — you could even use lemon or lime juice if you have them on hand.

Green Peppers: Blending in bell peppers is a great swap for cucumbers or celery if you're looking for substitutions. While red peppers are delicious in the cold soup, green peppers are the better option to keep it green.

Spice: If you like it a little spicier, you can toss in a seeded jalapeño or a dash of hot sauce like Tabasco. Alternatively, a little bit of cumin adds a welcome smokiness.

Whether it's red or green gazpacho, this soup is almost too easy not to try. And if you find yourself wandering around the farmers' market, this is about the simplest ingredient list you can get for a cool dinner to close out your hot summer night.

Green Gazpacho made with grapes, garlic, bread, olive oil, celery, and cucumbers

Photo by Brittany Conerly for Yummly