Here's a delicious easy Gazpacho recipe made lighter (I cut the olive oil called for in half, down to ¼ cup from ½).
What is Gazpacho? A cold tomato based raw vegetable soup originating from Spain. It's a bright lively soup; lovely on a hot summer day.
You'll find different variations of Gazpacho all over Spain and Mexico and lots of different Gazpacho recipes floating around.
Most call for fresh peeled chopped tomatoes. Unfortunately, flavorful tomatoes can be difficult to find unless you have access to a great farmer's market or grow your own. My favorite recipe for Gazpacho, uses tomato juice instead of fresh tomatoes, which is what makes it easy.
You may be wondering how to make Gazpacho. It's so easy. You just chop your vegetables, blend a portion of them and some flavorings in a blender (affiliate link) or food processor (affiliate link) until smooth, pour this smooth mixture back into the bowl containing the rest of your chopped vegetables, taste and adjust the seasonings, and then let it chill for 2 hours.
That's all there is to making Gazpacho.
Since this recipe is so simple, the quality of your ingredients is really important. Use the freshest vegetables, best olive oil, and bread you can find. You'll taste the difference. To lighten it up and make it more Weight Watchers friendly, I decreased the amount of olive oil by half and for a less traditional lighter version without olive oil and bread, here's my Weight Watchers Quick & Easy Gazpacho Recipe.
This refreshing soup is delicious served with grilled French bread as a first course. For a hearty main course soup add 2-3 large cooked shrimp to each bowl.
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Gazpacho Soup Recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: N/A
Chill Time: At least 2 hours
Yield: 4 servings
This version of Gazpacho soup uses tomato juice. If you have access to really good fresh tomatoes, you can use them instead. Just substitute 3 cups of peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped tomatoes for the tomato juice.
Note: To prepare the cucumber, peel it and then cut it in half lengthwise. Using a teaspoon, scrape out the seeds and discard them. Then chop into small pieces. To prepare the bell pepper, cut it in from top to bottom and scoop out and discard the seeds. Trim away the white ribs and cut the halves into small pieces.
Ingredients
1 slice white bread, crusts removed
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 cups tomato juice, plus more to thin the soup to desired consistency
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (affiliate link)
2 jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
Sliced green onions and/or chopped avocado for garnish, optional
Recipe Preparation
Place the slice of bread on a plate. Sprinkle it with the vinegar and let it sit about 5 minutes, until it is moistened.
Put the tomato juice, cucumber, scallions, and red bell pepper into a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Place about one quarter of this mixture into a blender (affiliate link) or food processor (affiliate link). Add the slice of bread, garlic, olive oil, jalapenos, sugar, salt and pepper. Puree the mixture until it is smooth. Pour this smooth mixture back into the bowl of vegetables. Stir well. Add more tomato juice to thin the soup if desired. Taste the soup and adjust the seasonings as necessary, adding more salt, pepper, sugar and/or vinegar until it tastes the way you want it to.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place the bowl in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to chill.
Serve cold. Garnish with scallion, and/or avocado if desired.
Nutritional Estimates Per Serving: 179 calories, 13.0 g fat, 16.3 g carbs, 2.3 g fiber, 2.7 g protein and 5 WW PointsPlus
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More of My Favorite Easy Soup Recipes:
Quick Soup Recipes - a collection of easy quick soup recipes, some with 5 ingredients or fewer, that can be made in minutes
Easy Greek Lemon Chicken Soup - tasty non-traditional version made without eggs
Zucchini Soup - a great easy curried zucchini soup recipe that can be served warm or chilled along with several more tasty recipes for zucchini soup
Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup - easy delicious chicken tortilla soup that can be ready in just 30 minutes
Easy Potato Soup Recipe - easy delicious potato soup you can make in your slow cooker
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