When one of my nieces graduated from high school back in 2003, my mother and I flew to California to attend the ceremony and spend some time with my sister and her family. It was a great trip but there are two memories that will last forever. One was making S’mores on the beach with my niece and nephew, burning the marshmallows and stuffing our faces with gooey sweetness. The other was hanging out in the kitchen with my mother and sister making a chunky gazpacho and talking, talking, and talking. The trip was so much fun that I almost missed how delicious the gazpacho was.
My sister’s chunky gazpacho was quite different from mine at that time. Instead of throwing everything in the blender and pulsing a few times like I did, we chopped everything!; It was somewhat laborious, not that we noticed with all the talking going on. I didn’t get her recipe because, like all of the women in my family, we aren’t in the habit of writing recipes down. So when I got back home, I did a makeover with my own gazpacho recipe, eliminating most, but not all of the blending, and created this chunky gazpacho. I’m not sure if it’s exactly like my sister’s or even close for that matter, but Bobby and I sure love it!; I thank my sister for the inspiration of going chunky with my gazpacho.
I prefer chunky gazpachos and the is my favorite. Lots of layers of flavors with all of the vegetables and herbs. Serve with a smoked gouda grilled cheese as a nice complement.
*See Kitchen Notes for more information.
- 1 ½ – 2 pounds Roma or other meaty tomatoes, 7 – 9 large
- 1 garlic clove, minced (size depends on how much you like garlic)
- A handful of fresh basil leaves
- 1 medium cucumber, peeled, diced
- ½ medium sweet bell pepper, diced (any color but green)
- ¼ cup sweet onion, minced
- 12 Kalamata olives, diced
- 2 Tbsp. brine from olives (or to taste)
- 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 1 cup or more V8 juice* (if needed)
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)*
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Chopped fresh mint for garnish (optional)
- Cut the stem end off the tomatoes, then cut tomatoes into quarters. Place in a blender and pulse a few times until tomatoes are coarsely chopped. Transfer all but about one cup to a large bowl.
To the blender, add the garlic and all but about 4 to 5 leaves of basil. Puree for 30 seconds. Pour into bowl with the rest of the tomatoes.
- Chop the reserved basil leaves and add to the bowl.
Add the rest of the chopped vegetables, 1 tablespoon olive oil, chopped olives, olive brine and vinegar.
If soup is too thick, add 1 cup or more of V8 juice for desired consistency.
Taste. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Refrigerate at least 6 hours, or overnight preferably. Remove from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving.
Dish into soup bowls and garnish with freshly chopped mint leaves and a drizzle of EVOO.
Tomatoes and V8 – Like any gazpacho it’s best with the freshest ingredients, so vine-ripened garden tomatoes, local tomatoes, or meaty heirlooms are a must. Romas are quite meaty but any meaty tomato works. If the tomatoes don’t have a lot of juice, you may need to add a cup or more of V8 juice or tomato juice.
EVOO – Add 1 tablespoon good quality olive oil to the soup, the for the serving drizzle, you can use an infused EVOO. Infused oils that work quite well are garlic infused, dill infused, or, for a spicy touch, a red chile infused.
Sugar – It you find it a little acidic, which it can become after a couple of days in the refrigerator, add just a touch of sugar. You won’t even taste the sugar, but it will calm the acidity. With good tomatoes, you shouldn’t need to sugar.
For spicy gazpacho – Substitute the olive brine with brine from pickled jalapeno or add a minced jalapeno pepper or some chopped green chile.
Serve this gazpacho with
- a grilled cheese sandwich made with a smoked cheese,
- a tortilla egg sandwich made with a pepper jack cheese, or
- a side of chips.
If you enjoyed this chunky gazpacho, then you’ll love this gazpacho salad.
For more great ideas for cold soups to help you through the heat of the season, check out this roundup of 20+ Chilled Soups.
This recipe was featured in the Hearth and Soul Blog Hop and Foodie Friday Blog Hop.
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So glad I caught this one ! Perfect, healthy side dish for hot days !
Gazpacho is a soup that has many happy memories of my mother preparing it every summer. Your recipe sounds so delicious, MJ. And it’s perfect for this hot time of year! Our tomatoes are just beginning to ripen and this soup would be perfect to use them in!
Happy summer, dear!
Ciao,
Roz
Thank you so much Roz! I’m thrilled I could give you some happy memories! Food does that, doesn’t it? 🙂 And a happy summer to you as well!
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I love chunky soups. This one looks very good. Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friday!
I ADORE gazpacho. I spent the entire month of July gorging myself on gazpacho at the Cortijo-in-the-middle-of-nowhere. It was entirely blended though! My favorite thing was adding a bit more vinegar and dipping pieces of baguette in it. 🙂
This sounds delicious! I’ve heard of gazpacho via P90X “stirring the pot,” but always wondered what it was. Gonna need to keep this on hand when the months get cooler!
What lovely memories – isn’t it funny how so many of our fondest memories involve food? Your gazpacho sounds wonderful – I really like the idea of keeping the veggies chunky!
Delish! I love the “Serve With” suggestions 🙂 Thanks so much for linking this up!
Delicious Gapacho. thanks for sharing with Hearth and Soul blog hop I am highlighting the recipe this week Hearth and Soul blog hop
I can’t believe I’ve never made nor tried gazpacho before! I think this is the best recipe to try my first one 🙂
This looks amazing!
This gazpacho looks incredible! I love that it’s chunky.
I found your site through Soni’s Food For Thought, and I’m glad I did, because I love your site. Can’t wait for more recipes!
MJ,
This looks super yummy. Perfect for the hot summer months when I still love to eat soup. Thanks for sharing at Creative Thursday each week. I appreciate YOU! Can’t wait to see what you link up next 🙂
Michelle
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I prefer the chunky style so one can taste all the components.
Love your photos and the diner-style soup bowls are fabulous.
LL
Gazpacho is a true summer treat and yours, so chunky, sounds absolutely delicious. Your photos say it all.
This is perfect for dinner. It is a way to use the very best tomatoes, fresh and filled with flavor to make gazpacho better than the rest of the year. Thank you for giving me the idea and the recipes. You are the greatest.
Looks like I want to follow your sis’s recipe for a change..chunky gazpacho sounds fun and looks..oh so-so yum!
I love how your gazpacho looks, MJ. It sure makes a wholesome meal! I don’t usually blend mine but I’d love to try it out sometime. Garnish it with fresh mint sounds like a great idea too!
That’s the best part of cooking with the family is not so much about cooking but talking. I love this dish with chunky ingredients and I’m sure I would have more than one serving. Delicious looking, MJ! 🙂
Thanks Ray! You are SO right! Once in the kitchen with family and friends, what should take 15 minutes can take an hour with all of the talking! 🙂
Yum! I haven’t made any gazpacho yet this summer. I’ll have to try your version!
Always a fav and go to dish during the hot summer days!
Mj, that looks delicious and could almost pass for a salsa…which would be great too! Hope you had a great weekend!
A bowl of your chunky gazpacho paired with grilled cheese would be just the perfect dinner for tonight!
That’s what we had for supper tonight! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Honestly I never had tried gazpacho due to the fact it is a cold soup. I was turned off by the thought of cold soup but it looks like from the comments and your post it will be worth a try.
Raymund, you really should give it a try. Out of all the cold soups, gazpacho is my favorite. Just be sure to let in rest for 30 minutes on the counter in order to take the chill off it from the refrigerator. Hope you like it!
Thanks for the gazpacho recipe.
I’ll create one for sure, my kids are gonna like it 🙂
submit your chunky gazpacho photos on a Food Photography site so the readers can enjoy your creations.
It’s a food photography site full of all DIY food pictures from members around the world. submit by yourself and let me know when you did, so I can share it.
Thanks!! Thanks for letting me know about your site. I’ll check it out!
MJ, yummy bowl of vegetables….so colourful with lots of texture….and beautiful memories..
I actually like my gazpacho the chunky way. I like how all the textures give more interest.
This is one of the best Gazpacho recipe I have seen! I am glad I found your blog while at Daily Foodbuzz and plan on following your posts! Allen.
Thanks Allen! So glad you found me too! Headed over to your space!
I am always amazed at how huge the difference can be when only the texture changes. I love gazpacho, but have never heard about anyone making it chunky. It sounds like an excellent idea.
Sissi – it is excellent! I’m a true convert!
I can eat that chunky gazpacho by spoonfuls. It looks so flavourful and as colourful as your memories and writings.
Thanks for stopping by today. What a great story, great memories, and a great recipe. I haven’t made gazpacho at all this summer. It is high time, I think.
I have never made gazpacho before- but I’d love the chunky version. Thanks for sharing!
Yudith – You really need to make a gazpacho! It has a flavor that can’t compare! Thanks for stopping by!
It looks like you’ve come up with amazingly impressive and tasty variations.
I love love love gazpacho! Chunky or blended! But I cannot convince my husband. Oh well more for me 🙂
Gazpacho – even the name makes me go weak at the knees… seriously! I absolutely adore the stuff, however I’ve never actually tried a chunky one – is it basically the same flavour? I already know I’d love your chunky version – all those wonderful vegetables, so fresh and colourful and best of all… lovely and cold for these warm summer days!
Thanks Charles! Yes, the flavors are the same. The change is primarily in the texture. However, like most soups, this is best 24 hours after making it. With the larger chunks, it takes more time for the flavors to blend so I highly recommend letting sit in the fridge overnight. Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend!
MJ! It’s beautiful and I love that you added a little brine from the olives. Sounds delish and perfect for a hot day. Now all we need is a hot day.
I normally blend the you-know-what out of my gazpacho … Should probably try your chunky version because it looks so yummy … Happy Friday 🙂
Love the look of your chunky Gazpacho, MJ…so appetizing and comforting! I won’t mind doing all the chopping!
That looks so good…I like it chopped rather than blended too smooth.
What a delightful looking gazpacho (mmm on the basil…) – I like the idea of chopping for a change rather than blending. The same refreshing taste and delicious content with a completely different texture. Your trip to California does sound memorable – I love moments like those that stay with us forever. Thanks for sharing this one!
Mmmmmm….this sounds amazing! I love all kinds of gazpacho, but I haven’t tried the white version with almonds and grapes. Somehow that’s not so appealing. My mom’s gazpacho was pureed then topped with tons of chopped veggies 🙂
Thanks Liz! I’m not familiar with the almond and grapes version. Now I’m curious. I’ll have to look it up.
Wow… your gazpacho definitely looks delicious and appetizing! I love your chunky style (thanks to your sister!). Bookmarking and would love to try this out!
Hi MJ. I really like the idea of a chunky gazpacho even if it is labor intensive. I am going to have to give this a try. I love that you added my favorite kalamata olives, that’s something uniqueand sounds delicious. Have a lovely weekend.
This gazpacho looks delicious.. and, if it reminds you of such an amazing trip, it’s even better!
Lot of hugs, my friend!
Oh MJ….what a beautiful bowl of vegetable heaven! I love gazpacho soup so much. I think that it’s great that everyone seems to have their own version or twist on it. I happen to like mine chunky, too! And I love that you added a bit of the brine from the olives, too! I will have to remember that for my next batch! : )
It is so inviting and well presented!
It’s amazing how much everone’s gazpacho differs…yours looks so flavorful and colorful, with loads of texture.
I love a story behind a dish my friend, this looks absolutely gorgeous 😀
Well made and delicious pictures!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Beautiful gazpacho! I really like the addition of the kalamata olives. Delish!
The memories behind the meal make it even tastier!! Beautiful gazpacho!!
This is a perfect summer treat!
Good stuff. I love gazpacho, and can’t believe I haven’t made it thus far this year! Need to correct that. I know this is heresy, but I find that unless you have really ripe and great tasting fresh tomatoes, good canned ones actually work well in this recipe. I know, I know – I should hang my head in shame for admitting I sometimes used canned, but I do. But the flavor is there, which is my main concern. Oh, and I’m in the chunky camp too when it comes to this dish.
Thanks KR! Do not hang you head in shame my friend! I have definitely thought of using canned tomatoes but haven’t done it YET. Hey – I make salsa with canned tomatoes and some might say that’s a no-no, but they make a damn good salsa!
This sounds marvelous, MJ! I’ve wanted to make gazpacho for some time, but never given it a go. This chunky version sounds so flavorful and is so beautiful and I’m sure it tastes amazing too. BTW, now I want to go to the beach and make some s’mores!
Let’s go! 🙂
Just wanted to drop by and let you know I’m featuring this post in today’s Food Fetish Friday (with a link-back and attribution). I hope you have no objections and so glad I had a reason to come back for another drool 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing this with Made with Love Mondays, MJ! I hope you’re having a wonderful Monday…
Pickled jalapeno brine sounds like it would be awesome in this! I’m a fun of chunky, so this sounds really good! That is great that you have memories that will last a lifetime!
Thanks Jane! I love a little added spice and the brine is really all you need!
I love gazpacho and it’s so perfect on hot summer days. I’ve never added olives to it before but it sounds like a nice addition. The chunkiness of the veggies is a nice touch – so much better than just drinking liquid.
Thanks Vicki! The olives really make this special!