On hot summer days, there’s nothing like gazpacho to cool and vitalize you. With a variety of nourishing veggies, fruits and herbs, this Mediterranean Gazpacho recipe is almost like a refreshing liquid salad.
Mediterranean Gazpacho Recipe
*use organic produce whenever possible
- 6 ripe tomatoes (about 3 lbs), peeled and chopped (about 6 cups)
- 1 red onion, chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 sweet red bell pepper (or green) seeded and chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 stalks celery, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped (about 1 teaspoon)
- 2 cups tomato juice (or 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes if you don’t have tomato juice)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of one fresh lemon
- Optional: 1-2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley or chopped fresh chives for garnish
- Optional: chopped avocado or goat cheese as a finish when serving
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Combine the tomatoes, onion, cucumber, pepper, celery, garlic, tomato juice and olive oil in a large bowl. Use an immersion blender or blend in batches, to desired smoothness. For a chunkier gazpacho, pulse only a few times in the blender. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
Place in a glass container to store. Chill several hours to allow the flavors to blend and ripen. When ready to serve, ladle into bowls and top with optional avocado, goat cheese or a drizzle of olive oil, then sprinkle with fresh chopped herbs. Enjoy!
