Ina Garten Gazpacho

Ina Garten gazpacho is a chunky, spicy cold tomato soup with cucumbers, red bell peppers and red onions that comes together in 20 minutes plus chilling time. Try this easy summer gazpacho soup for lunch or a cookout, since it's no-cook and make-ahead friendly.

Pulse each vegetable in the food processor on its own, because every one breaks down at a different speed. Process them all together and you get a thin, muddy puree instead of a chunky soup.

Ina Garten feels strongly that gazpacho should be chunky and spicy, never puréed, or it tastes like V-8 in a bowl. That's why she chops each vegetable separately in the food processor, which keeps the texture just right in this recipe from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (1999).

Source: The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (1999)

Ina Garten Gazpacho

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Course: SoupCuisine: American, SpanishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

Calories

140

kcal

Coarsely chopped vegetables stay distinct in a bright, peppery tomato broth that gets better as it chills. Every bite has crunch from the cucumber and pepper, with a sharp kick from the vinegar and garlic.

Ingredients

• 2 hothouse cucumbers, halved and seeded, but not peeled
  

• 3 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
  

• 8 plum tomatoes
  

• 2 red onions
  

• 6 garlic cloves, minced
  

• 46 ounces tomato juice (6 cups)
  

• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
  

• 1/2 cup good olive oil
  

• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  

• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  

Directions

• Chop the vegetables: Roughly chop 2 hothouse cucumbers, 3 red bell peppers, 8 plum tomatoes and 2 red onions into 1-inch cubes. Leave the cucumber skin on and seed the cucumbers and peppers first.
• Pulse each one: Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until coarsely chopped. Stop early, because overprocessing turns them to mush.
• Combine in a bowl: Tip each processed vegetable into a large bowl as you finish it. Then add 6 minced garlic cloves and 46 ounces of tomato juice.
• Season the gazpacho: Stir in 1/2 cup white wine vinegar, 1/2 cup good olive oil, 1 tablespoon kosher salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper. Mix well so the seasoning spreads through all the chunks.
• Chill and serve: Cover the bowl and chill it in the fridge before serving. The longer it sits, the more the flavors develop, so give it a few hours if you can.

Tools for this recipe

• Cuisinart 14-cup food processor, Victorinox Fibrox 8-inch chef's knife, Pyrex 3-piece glass mixing bowl set, Diamond Crystal kosher salt, 3 lb. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Why use hothouse cucumbers for gazpacho?

Hothouse cucumbers, also called English or seedless, are the long thin ones sold individually wrapped. They have fewer seeds and a sweeter flavor than regular cucumbers, so they don't make the soup bitter or watery.

Does the brand of tomato juice matter?

It does, since the juice is the base of the whole soup. Ina Garten says Sacramento tomato juice has the most flavor of any brand and makes a big difference here.

Can I make gazpacho ahead of time?

Yes, and you should, because the flavors keep developing as it chills. Make it a few hours or even a day before serving and keep it covered in the fridge.

Can I use a blender instead of a food processor?

A blender tends to puree the vegetables, which is exactly what this recipe avoids. If it's all you have, pulse each vegetable in short bursts, or chop them by hand with a chef's knife.

What is the biggest mistake with gazpacho?

Overprocessing is the most common one. Pulse each vegetable only until coarsely chopped, because once it turns smooth you lose the chunky texture that makes this soup special.