If you haven’t yet tried a nice bowl of gazpacho, then you are missing out. While most soup recipes are warm and typically enjoyed during the winter months, gazpacho is a cold soup that you can enjoy all year round. This hearty soup is filled with veggies and a […]
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If you haven't yet tried a nice bowl of gazpacho, then you are missing out. While most soup recipes are warm and typically enjoyed during the winter months, gazpacho is a cold soup that you can enjoy all year round. This hearty soup is filled with veggies and a ton of flavor thanks to lime zest and a kick of Tabasco. Yep, it's really yummy. Another great thing about this recipe is that it requires just 15 minutes of prep time.
Recipe developer and wellness coach Miriam Hahn created this wonderful dish, and she can't say enough great things about it ... and to be honest — neither can we! "My favorite thing about this recipe is it how fresh busting with flavor it is. It is like eating a homemade salsa with extra veggies! I love soup in general but eating a raw soup is great because you get the raw enzymes that can be lost in cooking," Hahn raves.
Keep reading to find out how to make this excellent cold soup.
Gather the ingredients
You first need to list all the necessary ingredients it takes to throw this dish together and then take a trip to the store. For starters, you will need a few Roma tomatoes that you will deseed and dice. In addition, you will need to grab few more items from the produce section, including an English cucumber, an orange bell pepper, a jalapeño, garlic clove, red onion, and cilantro, all of which you'll need to chop and dice.
Moving on, be sure to pick up a lime that you'll zest. The dish also requires a few sauces, including Worcestershire and Tabasco. In addition, you will need some salt, pepper, apple cider vinegar, and tomato juice. Then, it's time to begin.
Combine the veggies in a bowl
Now that you have all of your ingredients purchased and in front of you, it's time to get this cooking party started. Take out a large bowl and get ready to toss in a few ingredients. The first thing you can throw in is the Roma tomatoes — these should be diced and seeded ahead of time. At this time, you can also toss in the diced onion, cucumber, bell pepper, and jalapeño. "For cutting the veggies, I typically use an onion chopper for onion. The other ones, I do a rough chop, then take my big chef's knife and run it over, up and down over a big clump of the veggies," Hahn says.
The last two things you need to add are the garlic and cilantro, minced and chopped respectively.
Add the wet ingredients
By now, your bowl of ingredients should be starting to get pretty packed, but there are still a few things that you will need to add. Start with the zest and juice from your lime, which adds a beautiful citrus flavor to the soup. Next, you can throw in the remaining other wet ingredients, including Worcestershire, apple cider vinegar, and tomato juice. Then, add a little bit of salt and pepper.
Last but not least, throw in your Tabasco sauce. If you are a spice lover, you can add a little more than the directions call for. Mix everything together.
Cover and chill
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid once you have added all of the ingredients. Then, pop the bowl in the fridge and let it chill. Set your timer for 30 minutes, but you can always keep it in for a little longer if you'd like or if you are making it ahead of time. Thirty minutes is just the minimum amount of time required. "Chilling just makes it taste better! Similar to salsa, that is better cold! But it is still really good if you have a bowl right after making it," Hahn shares.
Health benefits of this soup
There are plenty of things to love about gazpacho, including its tasty ingredients that happen to be good for you! "Tomatoes are known for containing lycopene, which is an antioxidant that is great for preventing heart disease and cancer (specifically prostate cancer)," Hahn shares. "Plus, they are loaded with vitamin C, potassium, vitamin K, and folate. In this recipe, you use both fresh tomatoes and tomato juice, so lots of benefits here!"
Cucumbers are also filled with wonderful qualities. "I love cucumbers because of the major hydration effect," Hahn raves. "They are also full of fiber and other vitamins. I buy organic and keep the skin on because a lot of the vitamins are found in the dark green peel. English cucumbers are a less watery than regular cucumbers, so [they] go great in this soup."
Tomatoes and cucumbers are not the only items in this soup with health benefits. "Onions and garlic, both in the allium family, have compounds that protect against cancer and are more beneficial raw vs. cooking," Hahn shares.
As for bell peppers? "Peppers of all kinds are super high in vitamin C (more than an orange) and also high in fiber, folate, and other vitamins," Hahn informs us. But wait, there's one more thing! "Cilantro is an herb that shouldn't be overlooked for health benefits," Hahn notes." It is full of vitamins and minerals but also known for helping to detox the body by pulling out heavy metals. I add it to everything! (Parsley is good for this too)."
Serve and enjoy
Here is the best part about the recipe — getting to enjoy it. This soup is great by itself, but there are also plenty of other items that would go well with it. "This soup is great as an appetizer to a Mexican-inspired meal," Hahn tells us. "Or great as a side dish with tacos or burritos. I had it for a light lunch yesterday on its own, and it was great."
We don't think you will have any soup left, but if you do, we've got you covered. "This soup lasts for up to 3 days in a sealed container in the fridge!" Hahn advises. We hope you love this tasty soup as much as we do.
This colorful, tasty cold soup is chockful of healthy ingredients, making it a perfect dish for those who are watching their weight and trying to eat better.
- 6 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
- ¼ cup red onion, diced
- 1 English cucumber, diced
- 1 orange bell pepper, diced
- 1 jalapeño, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped + more for topping
- 1 lime, zested and juice
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 4 cups tomato juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
- In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, cucumber, bell pepper, jalapeño, garlic, and cilantro.
- Then add the lime zest and juice, Worcestershire, vinegar, tomato juice, salt, pepper, and Tabasco. Mix well.
- Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Once the soup is chilled, top with more cilantro if desired and serve.
