This cold soup is a taste of the season in a bowl.
Homemade gazpacho is satisfying, yet very low in calories and fat. And all those beautiful vegetables make it incredibly nutritious, refreshing and flavorful. Enjoy it as a light lunch on a hot day, or as an appetizer before your summer supper. Make a double batch of spicy tomato gazpacho and keep it in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Cook’s notes
• Tomato juice is very high in sodium. Use a low-sodium tomato juice instead and, if you’d like, add your own salt to taste.
• Farm stand tomatoes will taste the best, but this recipe works well with quality canned tomatoes, too.
• If you have time to get fresh corn, it really makes a difference. Just cut it off the cob and use it raw. An alternative is using canned corn.
• If you have an immersion blender, you can slightly blend the soup before chilling. Keep it chunky, though, with just a quick blending.
- 4 cups low-salt tomato juice
- 2 cups peeled and seeded chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup seeded cucumber
- 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup whole kernel corn
- ½ cup chopped green pepper
- ¼ cup chopped scallions
- ¼ cup chopped zucchini
- ¼ cup chopped green chilis
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- Hot sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
- Chill for several hours or overnight.
- Top the soup with your favorite add-ons right before serving. Try chopped avocado, sour cream, extra hot sauce if you like your food with more of a kick, crunchy croutons and/or a squeeze of lime juice. (These added ingredients are not included in the nutritional analysis).
Stacey Kendrick, MS, is a health educator with more than 20 years of experience in wellness and population health. She is a mother to two adult daughters. In her free time, she teaches healthy cooking classes, runs, gardens and enjoys backyard bonfires.
