This strawberry gazpacho is the perfect summer appetizer or meal for your family or for a crowd. It doesn't require a lot of time in the kitchen and the flavors and color are so perfectly summer!
If there were a food Olympics, I'd totally win in the pink drink category. You know, if that were also a thing.
I don't really have speed in the kitchen and I'm not going to win any medals for flipping (burgers, pancakes, or otherwise). But pink drinks? I got that.
In addition to my literal Starbucks Pink drink, I also recently published a post for Watermelon Rose Slushies (frosé, if you will).
And now, I have for you a Strawberry Gazpacho (original recipe here). Basically, I just completed a triple play. And given that there are still several weeks of summer left, I wouldn't rule out the potential for a fourth pink drink. Watch out, now. I'm going for a quadruple.
OK, so technically, this Strawberry Gazpacho isn't actually a drink. It's a soup. A fruit gazpacho, if you will. Or a strawberry soup! But talking about "pink liquids" didn't sound very appealing.
Also, it's kind of more red than pink. But let's not focus on those minor details. Let's just concentrate on the fact that I seriously deserve a gold medal this Olympic season.
I may as well be Simone Biles. Thank you and goodnight.
Really though, pink is my color of the season whether that's due to watermelon, cherries, or strawberries. We don't have too long before orange starts taking over, so we should be taking advantage of all of these pink fruits as much as we possibly can.
If you already happen to be a gazpacho lover, this strawberry soup will make you incredibly happy this summer and I highly encourage you to whip it up ASAP.
What is Gazpacho?
Gazpacho is generally a cold soup that's made of raw blended vegetables- tomatoes are often a main ingredient.
But you can really use any vegetables, and even fruits, to make a gazpacho.
This strawberry gazpacho does have tomatoes in it, along with red pepper and cucumber. But it also has a whole lot of strawberries, adding the perfect amount of summer sweetness.
I've even made a peach gazpacho before!
Gazpacho makes for a delicious summer entree, appetizer, or side dish as it's light and refreshing and usually packed with summer produce. Plus, it's often really pretty!
How to Make Strawberry Gazpacho
The good news? Other than the fact that this strawberry gazpacho is delicious and pretty? It's super easy and quick to make, which means you won't have to spend much time in your hot kitchen.
Plus, no turning on any ovens or stoves. All you need to do is conduct a little chopping action and give your food processor some exercise.
Into the gazpacho goes:
- Chopped Tomato
- Chopped Cucumber
- Chopped Red Bell Pepper
- Hulled and Sliced Strawberries
To start, place tomato, cucumber, and red pepper in the bowl of a food processor.
Pulse until finely chopped, but not pureed. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.
Add all strawberries to food processor and pulse until finely chopped, but not pureed.
Transfer strawberries to bowl with vegetable mixture and stir to combine.
Reserve one cup of mixture and return the rest of the mixture back into the food processor.
Add garlic and thyme to food processor and process mixture until pureed.
Return to large bowl and stir in olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and reserved cup of strawberry/veggie mixture.
And now it's time to chill! It's recommended that you cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 4-8 hours.
Stir in a little vegetable broth right before serving. Garnish with sliced strawberries and thyme.
Can I Make This in a Blender?
If you don't have a food processor, you can certainly make this strawberery gazpacho in a blender.
Just take care to not puree the vegetables and strawberries too much to start as you still want some chunkiness in your chilled soup.
I think it's a bit easier to control in a food processor, but a blender certainly works, too!
At first I was worried this gazpacho was going to be a little too dessert-like. Not that a dessert gazpacho is a bad thing, but this one was positioned as being more meal like.
And it definitely fit the bill for a summer entree or appetizer. It's really almost like a traditional gazpacho, but with a plethora of strawberries added into the mix.
Can I Make Gazpacho Ahead of Time?
Yes! Gazpacho needs to chill for at least 4 hours anyway, so it's the perfect dish for making a day ahead of time. I'd say you can even make it 2 days in advance.
That's just another reason, the chilled soup is perfect for serving to a crowd. You can make it in advance and then spend time working on the other food you'll be serving.
The result of this strawberry gazpacho is a traditional savory gazpacho that is just a little bit sweeter and that much more summery.
While most gazpachos are gorgeous, the strawberries give this one an added vibrancy that will have you wanting summer to stick around forever.
And I'm basically in denial that it isn't going to be. I mean, the Summer Olympics just started, which means summer can't possibly be nearly over.
More Chilled Soup Recipes
If you love gazpacho as much as I do, you may be interested in more chilled soup recipes for summer! Here are some of my favorites:
- Chilled Corn Bisque with Shrimp
- Peach Gazpacho
- Chilled Avocado Soup
- Cucumber Gazpacho (from Running to the Kitchen)
- Quick Fruit Soup (from Everyday Healthy Recipes)
- Bloody Mary Gazpacho (from The View from Great Island)
Who's with me on launching some sort of food Olympics in the near future? Except we can't make money from it since the Olympics organization basically won't let you use any words of phrases that may potentially be associated with the games for money making purposes.
Probably I shouldn't have even mentioned it in this post. But how can you be a lifestyle blogger and not mention the USA gymnastics team at least once?? Right??
For now, I'll just award myself my own little pink drink medal, while I wait for the official committee to recognize me and sip on this strawberry gazpacho.
And I'll continue my pink fruit obsession for the next few weeks. I actually have another recipe in the works... It's not a drink (or "liquid"), but it will hopefully be all kinds of summer pretty.
Which food Olympics event would you win?
📖 Recipe
Strawberry Gazpacho
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cups chopped tomato (about 1 medium)
- 1 cup peeled and chopped English/seedless cucumber (about ½ cucumber)
- ½ cup chopped red bell pepper (about ½ medium pepper)
- 1 lb. ripe strawberries, hulled and halved
- ½ tsp minced garlic
- ½ tsp chopped fresh thyme, plus sprigs for garnish
- 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 6 strawberries, hulled and sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- In the bowl of a food processor, place tomato, cucumber, and red pepper. Pulse until finely chopped, but not pureed. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.
- Add all strawberries to food processor and pulse until finely chopped, but not pureed. Transfer strawberries to bowl with vegetable mixture and stir to combine.
- Reserve one cup of mixture and return the rest of the mixture back into the food processor.
- Add garlic and thyme to food processor and process mixture until pureed.
- Return to large bowl and stir in olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and reserved cup of strawberry/veggie mixture.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 4-8 hours.
- Stir in vegetable broth before serving. Garnish with sliced strawberries and thyme.
Notes
- Recipe lightly adapted from Cooking Light
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
Wouldn't that be a blast if there was food Olympics?! I can only imagine all of the categories. I think you would definitely win for this gazpacho too! I love the pretty color and flavor, Sues!
Michelle Lahey says
I love a good gazpacho! This has summer written all over it.
Phi @ The Sweetphi Blog says
Hahaha, they totally should have a food Olympics, and this would definitely win for drinks, it sounds amazing.
Kelly says
I'm with you on enjoying all the pink we can before orange arrives! Love all the goodies you packed in here! It looks so pretty and perfect for summer!
Monica says
Great recipe.
Mary says
Love it. So good.