you're making mealtime meaningful.
Cool and fresh gazpacho soup is absolutely one of our favorite meals to eat on a hot summer day. Gazpacho is a Spanish-style soup, served cold and made by blending tomatoes with a variety of vegetables. Summer and watermelon go hand-in-hand so we’ve turned our usual tomato gazpacho into a watermelon spectacular that’s perfect as an appetizer or as a light lunch, even a snack.
Color and flavor are two of the hallmarks of this cold soup. We get beautiful watermelon during the season and we put it to good use here. And in an homage to the tomato origins of gazpacho, we’d be remiss to not include a little bit of tomato. Go with whatever tomatoes you have on-hand; we’ve picked Roma’s here but a fresh heirloom tomato would be equally as good. We’re not done with the garden yet! English cucumber is generally pretty subtle in flavor but we like what it brings to the overall profile of our gazpacho, and some bell pepper is just another way to enhance the taste and texture of the soup. The distinctive purple hue and peppery taste of a red onion blended in gives the soup that little bit of zing we wanted to tickle our tastebuds.
As if the soup isn’t beautiful on its own, we reserve some of the cucumber and red onion for garnish, but we also wanted to add a little heat – and this is totally optional – with slices of jalapeño for a spicy kick. Some microgreens scattered over the top of the soup give it that little bit of fresh flair. If you’ve got some in your home garden they’re wonderful here, but if not, we also love-love-love using fresh basil as a garnish. This watermelon and tomato gazpacho is a crowd favorite, so we like to whip up a batch and keep it in the refrigerator, then everyone can just grab a cup or bowlful as they desire. Our kids devour this gazpacho and pretty much ask for it all summer long.
Watermelon gazpacho is definitely a winner when it comes to serving our guests. Of course, because it’s so wonderful to eat, but it’s the perfect make-ahead dish that you know will hold up well in the refrigerator (it just gets better and better) and is easy and quick to serve. That’s what makes it perfect for a barbecue but you’ll also enjoy a bowlful for a light summer lunch with friends. Watermelon gazpacho is BEYOND easy to make – you’ll hardly break a sweat in preparation – and it has a charmingly rustic elegance that makes it super versatile and just fun to eat.
Watermelon and Tomato Gazpacho
Yield(s): Serves 4-6
15 minutes
you're making mealtime meaningful.
Ingredients
- 5 cups seedless watermelon, cubed
- 1 English cucumber, diced
- 3 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup red onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + more for garnish
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and sliced (optional)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Microgreens or fresh basil, for garnish
Preparation
- Add watermelon, ½ of the diced English cucumber, tomatoes, ¼ cup of red onion, garlic, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper to a blender and puree until smooth. Taste a small spoonful for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, as needed.
- Transfer to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 3 hours before serving.
- To serve, give the gazpacho a quick stir then ladle into serving bowls.
- Garnish with reserved diced red onion, English cucumber, jalapeño pepper slices, and a few microgreens or fresh basil. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Love & Lemons.