30-Minute Gazpacho Soup Recipe

Summertime soup is not an oxymoron — certainly not when there are a gazillion versions of gazpacho you can stir up or blend up in just about no time at all. Gazpacho comes to the U.S. from the ancient Greek and Romans, by way of Southern Spain, according to Brittanica. Originally, gazpacho, which means "soaked bread" in Arabic, was not so much a soup as a bread-based salad, dressed with olive oil and garlic. Various raw vegetables, and sometimes almonds, were also added. Adding to gazpacho's "multiculti" appeal is the fact that two of the primary ingredients in gazpacho's most popular iteration, tomatoes and bell peppers, came to Spain as a result of Spain's having explored the new world during the 16th century (via Brittanica).

This particular version of gazpacho, which gets its orange hue that you see above from orange bell peppers combined with cherry tomatoes and its thick texture from corn kernels, comes to us from recipe developer Sher Castellano, who notes, "Gazpacho is defined as a cold soup made of mostly raw, blended vegetables. [It] can vary in color based on what color the vegetables are that you are using." She adds, "This recipe is simple and easy and allows the flavors of the vegetables to shine along with simple ingredients like salt, fat, and acid." Let's have a look.

For this lovely orange-hued and wonderfully simple gazpacho, you'll need just four primary ingredients: 1 cup of raw fresh corn kernels, 3 cups of cherry tomatoes (halved), two orange-colored bell peppers (which you'll need to dice), and ½ cup of yellow onion (which you'll also need to dice). To transform these four veggies from salad into soup, you'll need ¼ cup of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (shown combined in the photo above), ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt, and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper. You'll also need a blender or food processor and a sheet pan.

The understated truth about Castellano's 30-minute gazpacho soup recipe is that if you were to purchase all of the ingredients pre-prepped, 30 minutes would become 20. That being said, if you're not pressed for time, it's always a good idea to practice your skills in the kitchen. So, we wholeheartedly encourage you to go ahead, and prep away — especially since ultimately, all of the prepped ingredients are going to end up pureed anyway.

To dice the onion for this purpose, simply peel it, slice it in half, and then in half again, and so forth. To cut the cherry tomatoes in half, a small serrated knife is best. To dice the bell pepper, slice them in half first, pull out the seeds and the white flesh, slice into strips, and then chop the strips. For the corn, stand your cob in a bowl, and slide a short, sharp knife behind the kernels, from top to bottom. Or, you can use a kernel cutter, if you have one on hand.

The next step is about marrying the flavors together, along with the oil, vinegar, and seasonings. Take out a large bowl, and in it combine the corn kernels, the tomatoes, the diced bell peppers, the diced onions, the olive oil, and the apple cider vinegar, along with the salt and pepper. Stir gently to combine. Allow this mixture to sit uncovered and undisturbed for five minutes. Then, stir and leave undisturbed for another three minutes.

Grab your food processor or blender, and transfer the marinated ingredients into the bowl/container. Cover the processor or blender, and process or blend until the mixture is nice and smooth. Then, pour the mixture into a sheet pan, and pop it into the freezer for 10 minutes to chill and further develop its incredible flavor. After 10 minutes, you're ready to go. Simply divide your 30-minute gazpacho into bowls or cups, and serve it with more olive oil to drizzle and black pepper to sprinkle.