Easy Vegan Gazpacho (Classic Spanish-Style, No-Cook Summer Soup)

Yes, traditional Spanish gazpacho is naturally vegan. This easy no-cook summer soup blends ripe tomatoes, cucumber, basil, and olive oil into a fresh, refreshing dish ready in minutes. Serve chilled with crusty bread.

Ingredients

• 1 ¾ lb (or 800g) of fresh tomatoes
• 1 medium cucumber
• 1 bell pepper
• 1 clove of garlic
• ½ onion
• 1 slice of stale bread
• 1 cup loosely packed (or 30g) fresh basil
• 4 tbsp of olive oil
• 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• toast (for dipping into the soup, optional)

Instructions

• Roughly chop the tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, and onion. You don’t need to chop it too finely as all but the reserved garnish will be blended (set aside a small amount of the chopped veggie mix to garnish the soup).
• Mince the garlic clove.
• Tear up 3/4 of your basil leaves.
• Chop up the stale bread into smaller pieces.
• Add the veggies, garlic, basil leaves, and stale bread into a large mixing bowl (except for the reserved garnish).
• Drizzle a decent amount of extra virgin olive oil and vinegar on top of the chopped mix in the large mixing bowl.
• Season well with salt and ground black pepper.
• Put the mixing bowl covered in the fridge for 30 mins to chill and let the vinegar and spice mix infuse with the veggies to boost the soup’s flavor.
• Pour the mixing bowl mixture into a blender, and then blend until smooth and creamy.
• Taste the soup and adjust seasoning as you see fit. (Like some fancy, thin, flaky sea salt)
• To serve, ladle the gazpacho into bowls, and then top it with a spoonful of the reserved chopped vegetables, fresh basil leaves, and a splash of olive oil.
• It’s very tasty alongside vegan sourdough focaccia. Enjoy!