This savory Strawberry Gazpacho is a light and refreshing cold soup that will keep you cool this summer. With fresh strawberries and cucumber and delicious homemade croutons, this soup is sure to become a family favorite.
Have you heard of gazpacho? Until I visited Southern Spain a few years ago, I had no idea what this chilled soup was all about. But between mountains of tapas and gallons of sangrias, I managed to fit in a few bowls of gazpacho, and let me tell you, the Spanish are on to something.
Whether it be the need to create a cool dish to escape that southern Spanish heat, or just a knack for all this delicious, this dish is an underrated European treasure. Gazpacho is so delicious and refreshing, and I think it’s about time we bring it into our kitchens.
So what is it? Traditionally, gazpacho is a chilled vegetable soup with a tomato puree base, but today we’re changing that up. I recently learned, thanks to my new favorite book, The Vegetarian Flavor Bible, that tomatoes have a similar flavor profile as
strawberries.
Both are sweet and tangy and fresh! So today, we’re subbing the traditional tomatoes for fresh summer strawberries, sound good?
It’s so simple. We’ll puree strawberries, peeled and seeded cucumber, roasted red bell pepper, onion, and olive oil, throwing in a bit of thyme and balsamic vinegar for big flavor.
Then just run that through a wire mesh sieve to get out the seeds and small bits, and there you have it! Pop it in the fridge to chill until you’re ready to serve it.
And as if the gazpacho isn’t tasty enough, we’re going to top it with quick garlic and thyme homemade croutons. The tulip-man makes fun of how often I make croutons, now that I’ve finally discovered how to make them perfectly and all.
But if you have a stale loaf of bread, what else is a girl to do?! We’ll heat some olive oil in a sauté pan, throw in crushed garlic and thyme, and toss in some diced bread. Sauté until golden brown and you’ve just created the most addictive little croutons.
For the finishing touches, drizzle gazpacho with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, top with croutons and diced avocado, and garnish with fresh herbs (like thyme or basil).
This gazpacho makes a great starter for any night of the week. Unique enough to serve to guests and simple enough to whip up when you don’t feel like cooking, I think you’re going to love it!
- 1 red bell pepper
- 3 cups halved strawberries, hulled
- 1 cup chopped cucumber, seeded and peeled
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 sprigs of thyme, stems removed
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Pinch of salt and pepper if needed
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 slices of bread, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and set red pepper directly on the rack. Roast for about 25 minutes, until slightly blackened and charred. Remove from oven, set in a large bowl, and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let sit about 5 minutes, until skin is loose.
- Get the rest of your gazpacho ingredients prepared and put it all into a food processor.
- Remove skin and seeds from the pepper and add it to the food processor.
- Process until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Add salt and pepper to suit your taste (though it shouldn’t need much!)
- Pour gazpacho through a wire mesh sieve to remove seeds and fibers. Place in the refrigerator to chill while you make the croutons.
- In a large saute pan, bring 2 Tbsp olive oil to medium/high heat. When hot, add bread, garlic, and thyme. Cook for about 5 minutes, until bread is golden brown and crispy.
- To serve, pour gazpacho into 2 or 3 serving bowls. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic, sprinkle with thyme leaves, and top with croutons. (You can also garnish with basil leaves and avocado cubes!)