Southwest Gazpacho with fresh tomato, crunchy vegetables and a hint of smoky chipotle flavor is a refreshing summer soup and a Healthy Southwest Recipe.
We love chilled soups at our house all year long. They are make a quick and refreshing lunch or a healthy side dish. You know me, I have to throw in a little Southwest flavor to make it taste just right.
Gazpacho with Chipotle? You bet. I add touch of the smoky, Southwest flavor to the classic Spanish soup and it is delicious. You will love it!
Do you prefer chunky Gazpacho? Great. I have added my tips and tricks for chunky soup to this post so you can choose how smooth.
Keto Friendly Gazpacho Recipe
The other change I made to the classic recipe is to leave out the bread. The authentic version calls for adding bread to the recipe and straining it through a sieve.
Personally, the sieve thing is more mess than I like for a quick and easy recipe. Plus, I prefer the taste of gazpacho with no bread added, that's just my opinion.
The great thing about gazpacho recipes is that you can add any of your favorite fruits and vegetables. Garnish with toasted pine nuts or this crunchy cucumber pico de gallo.
Authentic Gazpacho Recipe
The first question people ask me is "What is Gazpacho?"
To me, gazpacho is a chilled bowl of super fresh, super seasonal summer vegetable deliciousness. Bright, ripe tomatoes fresh from the vine, crisp tangy bell peppers and sweet summer onions blended with fresh basil, sherry vinegar and a hint of garlic. Oh, and olive oil—don't forget the olive oil.
Authentic Gazpacho is all of that but, it is also from exotic Andalusia, Spain. The sunny Southwest region on the Mediterranean Sea that includes Seville with its amazing citrus and Gibraltar's spice trade with Morocco.
The great thing about gazpacho recipes is that if you can switch up the ingredients from tomatoes, to melons, to peaches as long as you keep the main ingredient... summertime.
Gazpacho Ingredients
This raw, chilled soup is only as good as it's ingredients.
- Tomatoes- vine ripened or as close as you can get. I use Roma tomatoes or the medium tomatoes that are still attached to the vine in the produce section. I find these two types of tomatoes are ripe and sweet without the harsh acidity or mushy texture of beef steak tomatoes.
- Cucumbers- it is hard to find the traditional small Persian cucumbers in Arizona. If you can find them, please use them. I use half of an English cucumber, instead. The two are similar, they both have thin skins and less seeds than the regular cucumbers. The Persians are crunchier with less water than the regular so, the English Cucumber is a happy medium between the two.
- Bell Peppers- I use red bell peppers because they are sweeter and milder than the green bell peppers. However, green bell peppers are more authentic.
- Sweet Onion- Again, they are hard to find in Arizona so I use ½ of a red onion instead. If you are familiar with sweet onions, please use your favorite variety.
- Garlic- not too much! Gazpacho is a fresh, raw soup so a little garlic will do. Make sure the garlic is fresh, not from a jar.
- Olive Oil- good, fresh olive oil. The olive oil adds to the texture and gives the gazpacho that authentic Mediterranean flavor.
- Sherry Vinegar- this is so delicious! Spain is known for its sherry and its sherry vinegar. It has a rounded flavor that is not as acidic as most vinegars but not as sweet as balsamic. If you don't have it at home, you can substitute a red wine vinegar.
Next, Add the Spices-
- Cumin- the little spice that makes you wonder "Hey, what's in here? I need to taste it again."
- Chipotle in Adobo- This is my secret ingredient. If you want to go totally authentic, just leave it out. The smoky, spicy flavor is perfect with tomatoes. If you don't want too much heat, use the adobo sauce only and not the actual Chipotle chile.
- Sea Salt and Finely Ground Pepper- add finely ground pepper to the soup and, if you are a pepper lover, fresh cracked pepper for a garnish.
The great thing about gazpacho recipes is that you can add any of your favorite fruits or vegetables.
Chunky Gazpacho Recipe - Tips for Keeping it Chunky
There are several different ways to make this recipe, chunky with bits of fresh vegetables that you can see or smooth and velvety.
- For chunky gazpacho, I use the food processor. I can control the size of the pieces with it.
- First cut the vegetable into pieces that are the same size.
- Then, place the ingredients that you want the smallest (onion, bell pepper, etc) in the food processor and puree them until small.
- Add the other ingredients and pulse until you reach the desired texture.
- Tips for Smooth
Smooth gazpacho is quicker and easier.
- Layer the ingredients in the blender with the firmest vegetables (onion, bell pepper, garlic) on the bottom and and the softer ingredients on the top.
- Start slowly by pulsing the bender until the ingredients have natural juice. Then, puree until very smooth.
- Drizzle in the olive oil and vinegar in at the end.
- Serve the Soup Chilled
Try pouring smooth gazpacho on ice and sip it with a straw. That is my favorite summertime "salad to go."
Pour chilled gazpacho into chilled bowls and serve with diced garnishes like cucumber and cherry tomatoes even seafood like shrimp or scallops.
Healthy Southwest Recipes
Here are some other recipes you might like-
Summer Fruit Gazpacho with Peaches
Green Chile Pesto Caprese Salads
Keto Zucchini Stacks or Zucchini Lasagna
Strawberry Salsa Recipe- Sweet and Spicy
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Food Processor-
9 Cup Cuisinart Food Processor- this is the food processor I use. It is moderately priced and I can recommend it.
10 Cup Hamilton Beach Food Processor- I have been happy with every Hamilton Beach product I have ever purchased. They are low cost and very functional.
Blender-
Oster Blender- I use an older version of this blender. I think it is almost 20 years old so yes, I recommend Oster Brand for moderate price, long lasting and good performance.
Southwest Gazpacho Recipe
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
- Sharp knife
Ingredients
- ½ English cucumber
- ½ lg/115g red bell pepper green bell pepper or other sweet pepper
- 2 lb/900g ripe tomatoes
- 1 med/90g sweet onion, red onion or shallot
- 1 clove garlic, medium sized
- 1 teas Chipotle in Adobo (more if desired to taste) for mild heat, use only the Adobo sauce
- ¼ c/8g loosely packed basil leaves
- 1 tbsp/3g fresh oregano
- 2 tbsp/30ml red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp/30ml lemon juice
- ¼ c/60ml olive oil
- ½ tsp/3g salt
- ½ tsp/1g ground pepper
- To garnish optional:
- Flaky salt
- Pungent olive oil
- Finely sliced basil
- Sliced cherry tomatoes
- Toasted pinenuts
- Coarse ground pepper
Instructions
- Peel cucumber and remove the seeds. Remove stem and seeds from bell pepper. Dice cucumber, bell pepper, tomato, and shallot. Peel and crush garlic. Thinly slice basil.
- In a food processor or blender, combine prepared bell pepper, cucumber, shallot, garlic, basil, and oregano. Process on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until a coarse paste forms.
- Add diced tomatoes, vinegar, and lemon juice. Process on high for 3-4 minutes until mostly smooth. Depending on the size of your food processor, you may need to do this in batches.
- Running the processor or blender on medium to low, add olive oil. Process for an additional minute to emulsify the oil.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let flavors blend.
- Serve cold in small bowls, glass or appetizer “shooters” in small glasses. Garnish as desired with a drizzle of olive oil and any of the other options. Try a flavored olive oil.
- Keep in an air tight, covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Carol Hicks
This sounds wonderful. And healthy!
Carol Hicks
A cup of gazpacho with a tamal--Heaven!