Don’t you just hate it when you forget a major ingredient when serving a dish to dinner guests? That’s what I did the other night with this Gazpacho Salad. The moment I started eating it, I knew something was missing, but I just couldn’t come up with what it was – until the next morning. I looked at my list of “last minute things to do” (which I had obviously failed to look at) and saw “add cheese to salad”. Bummer! Oh well, everyone still enjoyed it, and it was a great complement to the chorizo burgers.
This Gazpacho Salad was developed using my Chunky Gazpacho recipe that I posted last summer. The two recipes are very close to being the same, but the salad uses bigger pieces of vegetables, a touch of feta or fresh mozzarella cheese, and the best heirloom tomatoes you can find. When I saw these beautiful heirlooms last week at the growers’ market I knew this salad had to be made.
Speaking of heirloom tomatoes – I discovered the “garden peach tomato” the other day at the growers’ market. One of my favorite growers had a few garden peach tomatoes (also called a Wapsipinicon Peach) mixed in with her other heirlooms. I of course had to buy a few to test them out. They are relatively small, only about 2 inches in diameter, yellow to a pinkish yellow color, and a slightly fuzzy skin. The flavor is quite a bit sweeter than most tomatoes, and not the least bit acidic. According to Wikipedia garden peach tomatoes are native to South American, mainly Peru where they are called Coconas. This tomato was introduced into the United States in the 1860s. From what I’ve read about them, the plants are very prolific. I’ve already added them to my list of “possible tomatoes to plant” next year because they were so good! Hopefully, I can find some started plants because I’ve never been very good at starting tomato plants from seed.
Gazpacho Salad
When you don't have time to make a cold gazpacho soup, you can make a gazpacho salad. Same ingredients and bursting with textures and flavor.
*See Kitchen Notes for more information.
- 1 medium cucumber, peeled, cut into 1/2” cubes
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 4 – 5 medium tomatoes*, diced
- 1/4 medium sweet onion, minced
- 1 medium to large clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup diced Kalamata olives
- 1 Tbsp. fresh mint chopped
- 1 Tbsp. fresh basil chopped
- 2 tsp. red wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/4 tsp. red chile flakes* (optional)
- ground pepper
- 1/4 cup feta* crumbled or 1/2 cup fresh mozzarella, cubed
- 4 large butter or iceberg lettuce leaves, each leaf will be used as a bowl for the salad
- Chop the vegetables.
Toss together all of the vegetables and other salad ingredients EXCEPT for the cheese and lettuce.
- Place the salad in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Just before serving, mix half of the cheese in with the salad. Save the other half of the cheese for a topping.
- If you want to use a lettuce bowl, place one lettuce leaf on each plate.
- Divide the salad between the 4 plates by scooping the salad into the lettuce leaves.
- Sprinkle each serving with some of the remaining cheese.
- Top with cracked pepper, if desired.
Tomatoes – This salad really calls for some of the best and tastiest tomatoes you can find. A mix of meaty heirlooms are my favorite.
Cheese – As I recently discovered, this salad is just fine without the cheese; therefore, if you can’t eat cheese, just leave it out. However, I personally prefer a little cheese – either feta or fresh mozzarella. Which cheese I use has a lot to do with what I’m serving it with. You definitely get two different results depending on the cheese you use, as you can imagine. My preference is usually feta; however, when I serve this as a side for a spicy dish, I prefer fresh mozzarella.
Red Chile Flakes – If you want a little spice with the sweetness of the tomatoes, then add the red chile flakes. Just be careful not to overdo it. Red chile flakes are normally quite hot, so a little goes a long way.
Like many salads this Gazpacho Salad is best the day that you make it. After about 24 hours, you’ll have more of a gazpacho soup which still isn’t a bad thing to have.
This Gazpacho Salad has been added to Katherine Martinelli’s Summer Hop .
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What a lovely and colourful salad!
First, I really like the lovely colorful tomatoes popping out of the salad! So beautiful. My husband is having his team over for dinner this Thurs. I need to try this to accompany to his bbq dish. All I need is mint, basil, cheese and olive. I can’t wait to eat this!
Thanks so much Nami! I hope you and your guests enjoy it! It’s such a refreshing salad.
MJ, this salad looks amazing. With or without the cheese, it looks delish. Those peach tomatoes sound wonderful.
This salad looks SO fresh and seasonal. I think I would actually prefer it over the traditional gazpacho! I can’t have cheese, but I can imagine this being yummy with some feta. I’m sure it was perfectly delicious even without it tho. 🙂
Yummy! The idea of transforming a dish to another form is so simple yet incredibly creative. It is a great way to use up the ingredients too. This Gazpacho salad resemblances a bowl of sunshine. Perfect to cheer up the mood around here. We’ve had grey skies two days consecutively.
I am always 50 : 50 with gazpacho, I am just not sure if I can agree with a cold soup idea but this one definitely will be a champion all those flavour in that bowl simply the best.
This is exactly the sort of dish I could live off all summer…especially with heirloom tomatoes. I love the addition of cheese…but I’m certain it was delicious even without 🙂
This salad looks perfect to enjoy the tomatoes which are best at this time of the year: juicy, fully ripe and aromatic. I love the idea of deconstructing gazpacho and adding some cheese. Very creative! PS I have fallen in love with your photo of tomatoes!
Spring has sprung and I have *one* tomato that’s just beginning to turn yellowish. I’ll probably need more than that one but it won’t be long and I can make this gazpacho salad!
Interesting MJ – I only know gazpacho as a cold soup – learn something new every day! Cheers
Gazpacho Salad! I love the idea. How wonderful. I’ve never heard of peach tomatoes. Maybe no one in my area is growing them but I’d love to try. Thanks for sharing such a fun recipe.
So refreshing! Gazpacho salad with feta? That’s new 😀
LOVE this salad! Gaspacho is one of my favorites and a salad version is brilliant. Can you send me a bowl?? 🙂
This looks wonderful MJ – I’ve been craving stuff like this recently. It seems like we’ve gone through a real glut of eating very inappropriate stuff for the season and weather and all I want to do right now is scarf crunchy, fresh flavoured things.
Beautiful looking salad – so colourful, so alive with flavour!
LOVE the sound of your gazpacho salad – the beans, the veggies, the red wine vinegar – tastebud tantalizing! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Gazpacho salad…what a fun recipe to make! With all the lovely colours, feta, Olives..this salad will be a sure winner for any party.
This salad still looks delish and beautiful even without the cheese!
That’s a shame about the cheese. I’ve done that more times than I can remember – sitting at the table enjoying a great meal while one of the ingredients sits on the kitchen bench. Oh well. Lovely looking salad xx
Oh yes, I hate when I do that. Also when I photograph the ingredients for my blog and forget one, hehe! I love the idea of the salad; it looks so pretty and healthy. We don’t get many heirloom tomatoes here but when we do I eat them up. Thanks for sharing MJ!
What a great idea for a salad! I love gazpacho, so this salad is definitely calling to me. And yes, I’ve left out an ingredient. I made a birthday cake for my stepson one year and left out the butter. He actually mentioned it last weekend in his speech at his wedding reception, LOL!!
That’s hilarious! Oh kids – they have long memories. 🙂 Thanks for your comments Susan!
I’d truly prefer this over the read deal gazpacho, since I prefer salads over soup! I love all of the ingredients that you chose to include too!
xo
Roz
Thanks Roz! I think my love of salad vs. soup is seasonal. I like salads in the summer and soups in the winter. 🙂
You put this delicious Gazpacho salad in front of me, I wouldn’t know what’s missing. The bowl setting looks so refreshing. Don’t worry, you’re not alone with that problem of forgetting an ingredient. I am the same way and I hate it. Weekend is almost with us , so you and Bobby have a good and relaxing weekend. 🙂
thanks Ray! glad to know someone else is as absent-minded as I am. 🙂 Hope you’re having a great weekend!
So colorful and looks superb to go along with any meal!
I like this better than real gazpacho .
I have to agree with you on that one Debra! 🙂
When I was a child, my father, who rarely cooked, would sometimes prepare a chopped salad that he had eaten in the US. It comprised several ingredients – often crunchy lettuce, sweet tomatoes and cheese or some form of meat – chopped into small pieces and tossed with a good dressing. This is more a Middle East version, without meat or cheese. It is almost the consistency of gazpacho, but laced with plenty of cool, crunchy cos lettuce.
This is such a great idea MJ and I’m diggin’ the name 😉 — it reminds me of Greek salad which I adore. I don’t know, with that many fresh and delicious veggies going on, I doubt your guests noticed anything was amiss. (I find the cook always spots these things sometimes with alarm, a bit like a musician who misses a note, but the rest of us are just going along merrily oblivious). I have to look out for peach tomatoes now! Very pretty styling here – so simple and effective (I especially love the second to last photo).
Thanks Kelly! Great analogy to the musician! Those peach tomatoes are pretty incredible. Hope you find some. That photo is Bobby’s favorite as well. 🙂
This looks quite perfect for tomato season! Lovely and refreshing!
Thanks Amy! Tomato season is the only time I make it because it’s the only time I can get really good tomatoes, a definite requirement for this salad.
Lovely and refreshing salad. My mother and I always keep a list before a party… and just like you, we always forget something still. LOL! Such is the life of the hostess…
So true Ramona! Thanks and hope you’re having a great week.
I like the sound of this very much, MJ. This salad has everything gazpacho has to offer plus texture, which I really love. As for forgetting ingredients, I cannot tell you how many times I’ve gone to the grocery – even with a0 list — and come home to find I missed something. And it is always something I need for that night’s dinner. It’s infuriating! 🙂
Thanks JOhn! Yep – forgetting something on your list at the grocery is actually worse! 🙂
Yeah, I sometimes forget last minute things like that too. Even when I make lists, I sometimes forget to check them, alas. Whenever it happens (which isn’t all that often, thank goodness!), it seems I’m trying to complete several different dishes at the same time and in a rush. Anyway, this is a fantastic looking salad. We’re finally getting some tomatoes out of our garden (we’ve thwarted the squirrels with fencing, netting, etc – though they’re still managing to get some tomatoes!). Definitely something I should try – thanks.
That’s exactly what happened John! Too many different dishes were ready at the same time and things got rushed. Love having wild animals around but they are a pain when you’re trying to grow a garden. Glad you’re finally getting tomatoes. Thanks for your comments as always!
I’ve made a gazpacho sorbet and gazpacho salsa but not a gazpacho salad. Great idea and looks so refreshing. I’m going to make this tonight.
Gazpacho sorbet? That’s a new one on me. Hope you did get a chance to make the salad and enjoyed it. Thanks!
Fabulous idea! I have a bunch of heirlooms to be eaten up. Perfect with grilled fish tonight!
Definitely a great side for grilled fish! Thanks!
A soup in salad form…I love it!
Pretty cool right? 🙂 Thanks Angie!
I love the idea of chunky gazpacho – looks so fresh, colourful and healthy. Gazpacho has been on my to-do list for sooo long but since it reminds me of tomato sauce by appearance, I’d never felt motivated to make it at home. I definitely like the idea of chunky gaqpacho more and can’t wait to try this.
Thanks Rathai! I definitely prefer a chunky gazpacho and when I don’t want a soup,this salad is even better.
What an amazing and gorgeous salad! It makes me love this slide from summer into fall!
So nice this chunky gazpacho!! 🙂