This savory Strawberry Gazpacho Soup is a light and refreshing cold soup with cucumbers, onion, and roasted red pepper that will keep you cool this summer!
Things I discovered while playing Pokemon Go:
- That the tulip-man can, in fact, be persuaded to ditch watching Dexter and come run around outside with me
- And he may even go running around outside at 11pm, long after I’ve snuggled into bed
- A baby frog
- A zipline 5 minutes from our house
- That you won’t want to spend time cooking when you could be catching ’em all. And that’s okay, because the strawberry gazpacho soup we’re whipping up today requires minimal effort.
Have you heard of gazpacho? Until I visited Southern Spain a few years ago, I had no idea what this chilled soup was all about. But between mountains of tapas and gallons of sangrias, I managed to fit in a few bowls of gazpacho, and let me tell you, the Spanish are on to something.
Whether it be the need to create a cool dish to escape that southern Spanish heat, or just a knack for all this delicious, this dish is an underrated European treasure. Gazpacho is so delicious and refreshing, and I think it’s about time we bring it into our kitchens.
So what is gazpacho? Traditional gazpacho is a chilled vegetable soup with a tomato puree base, but today we’re changing that up.
I recently learned, thanks to my new favorite book, The Vegetarian Flavor Bible, that tomatoes have a similar flavor profile as strawberries. Both are sweet and tangy and fresh! So today, we’re subbing the traditional tomatoes for fresh summer strawberries, sound good?
Ingredients
Gazpacho
- 1 red bell pepper
- 3 cups halved strawberries 450 g, hulled
- 1 cup chopped cucumber 150 g, seeded and peeled
- ¼ cup chopped onion 40 g
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 sprigs of thyme stems removed
- ½ cup olive oil 118 mL
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar 15 mL
- Pinch of salt and pepper if needed
Croutons
- 2 Tbsp olive oil 30 mL
- 2 slices of bread diced
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 sprigs of thyme
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and set red pepper directly on the rack. Roast for about 25 minutes, until slightly blackened and charred. Remove from oven, set in a large bowl, and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let sit about 5 minutes, until skin is loose, then remove skin, stem, and seeds.
- Put all of your gazpacho ingredients into a food processor. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Add salt and pepper to suit your taste (though it shouldn’t need much).
- Pour gazpacho through a wire mesh sieve to remove seeds and fibers. Place in the refrigerator to chill while you make the croutons.
- In a large saute pan, bring 2 Tbsp olive oil to medium/high heat. When hot, add bread, garlic (crushed but still intact), and thyme (on the stem). Cook for about 5 minutes, until bread is golden brown and crispy. Remove garlic and thyme.
- To serve, pour gazpacho into 2 or 3 serving bowls. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic, sprinkle with thyme leaves, and top with croutons. (You can also garnish with basil leaves and avocado cubes!)
Ashley Kenawell says
Well I have to ask… Did you pick a team yet? Are you Mystic, Valor or Instinct?
Sarah says
Instinct all the way! Which are you?
Erin says
Thank you for sharing your recipes! I made this for my husband’s birthday dinner last month and was a huge hit! So refreshing and flavorful! Do you have any recommendations to make this ahead of time? Do you think it would freeze well?
Sarah Bond says
Happy to hear it, Erin! I think it would, yes!