Gazpacho soup has long been a favorite summertime lunch or dinner. It’s simple to make and doesn’t require firing up the stove or the oven. When the temperature goes up it’s nice to have a cool main dish. This gazpacho soup isn’t red like the traditional version and that’s because it doesn’t have any tomatoes.

This soup gets a lovely green color from English (seedless) cucumbers, tomatillos, green onions, and one diced and seeded jalapeño. There’s tons of flavor packed into this soup.

As with other gazpacho soups, the base is made creamy and rich from the addition of olive oil and bread. A bread with a lot of flavor and good texture, like farmhouse or sourdough, is an ideal choice for this as the flavor will affect the final result. This is not the for time plain white sandwich bread, though this soup is an excellent way to use up the last of a loaf of crusty bread that has started to go stale.

The first step is to create a soak for the bread by combining plain yogurt, olive oil, and lemon juice together in large bowl. Then the jalapeño pepper and onion go in, as well as the bread. After each piece of bread is coated in the mixture then let it stand for 10 minutes.

Once the bread is ready add the mixture to a blender or food processor. Then comes the cucumber, salt, repper, and diced and husked tomatillos. Blend until smooth and serve with some sautéed shrimp and/or croutons. This is also nicely topped with some grated Parmesan cheese.

This is a lovely light summer main dish that’s packed with nutrients and flavor in equal measure. Add a side dish and a cool drink and you’ve got the meal made in under a half hour. It’s the perfect solution for those stifling summer nights when cooking might feel like a chore.