Summery watermelon gazpacho, a cold soup with watermelon, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, cucumbers.
Have you ever tried watermelon gazpacho?
Watermelon gazpacho is a cold summer soup much like tomato gazpacho, but in this case watermelon takes the place of much of the tomato.
In our version, we are still using some tomato (one), so you get a little bit of tomato flavor in the soup, along with cucumber, onion, and bell pepper. Watermelon is light, juicy, and a little sweet, which is what it brings to this gazpacho.
As in the case when you make regular gazpacho, this soup improves overnight, as the flavors have had a chance to blend. It’s perfect for a light meal on a hot day. You can easily make a large batch and enjoy it for days!
Watermelon Gazpachoa Recipe
- Prep time: 30 minutes
- Chilling time: 1 hour
- Yield: Serves 6
In the ingredient list there are separate quantities for chopped red onion, bell pepper, cucumber, and jalapeño. The roughly chopped onion, pepper, cucumber and jalapeño will go into the blender or food processor to be puréed. The finely chopped vegetables will be added back into the soup after the rest of it has been puréed, to add more body to the soup.
Ingredients
- 1 red onion, 1/2 cup roughly chopped, 1/2 cup finely chopped
- 1-2 red bell peppers, 1 cup roughly chopped, 3/4 cup finely chopped
- 1-2 peeled and seeded cucumbers, 1 cup roughly chopped, 1 cup finely chopped
- 1 jalapeño pepper, 1 Tbsp roughly chopped, 1 Tbsp finely chopped (more or less to taste)
- 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
- 6 to 7 cups of chopped seedless watermelon (or watermelon with seeds removed)
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup of red wine vinegar (more or less to taste, depending on the sweetness of the watermelon and tomatoes)
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Garnish:
- Sour cream (omit for vegan or paleo option)
- Diced avocado
- Cilantro
Method
1 Purée vegetables and watermelon: Put the roughly chopped onion, bell pepper, cucumber, jalapeño and cilantro into a powerful blender. (Reserve the finely chopped vegetables for adding later.)
Add the tomatoes and pulse until puréed.
Add the watermelon and pulse again until smooth.
If your blender isn’t big enough or if you prefer to use a food processor, you may need to work in batches. (An immersion blender will likely not work for this, not enough liquid.) Pour into a large bowl.
2 Balance the sweetness with vinegar, add salt and olive oil: Taste the gazpacho and add red wine vinegar to balance the sweetness of the watermelon and tomatoes.
Depending on how sweet your watermelon is, and how acidic or sweet your tomatoes are, you may need to add less or more red wine vinegar. So, start with 1/4 cup of vinegar, and keep adding a tablespoon at a time until you’ve reached a balance you like.
Whisk in the salt and olive oil.
3 Stir in finely chopped vegetables, then chill: Stir in the finely chopped onions, bell pepper, cucumber, and jalapeño. Chill for at least an hour for the flavors so blend. (It’s even better chilled overnight.) Add more salt to taste if it needs it.
4 Garnish: To serve, garnish with sour cream, diced avocado and chopped fresh cilantro. Also good with a side of toasted rustic bread.
Links:
Spicy Watermelon Gazpacho – a recipe from Tess Master’s The Blender Girl
Watermelon, Tomato, Almond Gazpacho – from Aran Goyoaga of Cannelle et Vanille
Watermelon and Sweet Onion Gazpacho – from Herbivoracious
