Chilled Tomato Soup (Gazpacho)

This refreshing, fiber-rich Spanish classic is packed with antioxidant-rich vegetables and heart-healthy fats from extra virgin olive oil.

Ingredients

• 3 slices bread (crusts removed and discarded) · 154 kcal
• 1 1/4 cups cold water (divided)
• 3 medium tomatoes (ripe, skinned, seeded, and roughly chopped, about 3 3/4 cup or 2 pounds) · 222 kcal
• 1 small cucumber (peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped, about 1 1/2 cup) · 14 kcal
• 1 green pepper (seeded and roughly chopped, about 1 cup) · 25 kcal
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (or 4 cloves fresh garlic, finely chopped) · 16 kcal
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil · 456 kcal
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar · 3 kcal
• 1/4 teaspoon low-sodium adobo seasoning
• 1 small tomato (seeded and finely chopped, about 1 cup) · 29 kcal
• 1/2 small red onion (finely chopped, about 1/2 cup) · 20 kcal
• 1/2 green bell pepper (seeded and finely chopped, about 1/2 cup) · 12 kcal
• 1 hard-cooked egg (finely chopped) · 65 kcal

Method

1. Tear the bread into small pieces, place them in a medium bowl, and cover with 1 cup of cold water. Let soak for about 15 minutes until fully saturated, then squeeze out and discard the excess water.

   

2. In a blender or food processor, combine the soaked bread, chopped tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, garlic, and the remaining 1/4 cup of cold water. Blend for about 1 minute until well combined.

   

3. With the blender motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil in a steady stream until the soup is smooth and well blended. Stir in the red wine vinegar and low-sodium adobo seasoning.

   

4. Strain the puréed soup through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing firmly to extract all the liquid and discarding any solids. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 48 hours.

   

5. To serve, divide the chilled soup evenly among serving bowls and garnish with the finely chopped tomato, red onion, green bell pepper, and hard-boiled egg.

   

Adapted from a USDA MyPlate Kitchen recipe (public domain). Portions, macros, diet checks and step photos by Besly.