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![gazpacho is an example of a cold summer soup to try Summer cold soup gazpacho with parsley and vegetables on blue concrete background](https://cdn.aarp.net/content/dam/aarpe/en/home/home-family/your-home/info-2023/gazpacho-recipes/_jcr_content/root/container_main/container_body_main/container_body1/container_body_cf/container_image/articlecontentfragment/cfimage.coreimg.50.932.jpeg/content/dam/aarp/home-and-family/your-home/2023/08/1140-gazpacho.jpg)
Sweltering weather calls for something easy in the kitchen that doesn’t require heat to prepare. Gazpacho is served chilled, making this cold soup a perfect summer meal.
The typically tomato-based soup, made of raw, blended vegetables, originated in a southern region of Spain called Andalusia. That traditional version is stripped down compared to many of those found in the U.S., which might have enhancements that range from watermelon to lobster.
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Though there’s a reason simple versions of centuries-old dishes have stood the test of time, elevating a basic gazpacho takes only a few quality ingredients, according to Lara Dunston, a Southeast Asia-based travel and food writer who cowrites the blog Grantourismo.
At the heart of the soup are the tomatoes. They should be sweet, plump, ripe and red, she says.
If you can’t find tomatoes at their peak, sprinkle a good-quality sea salt and freshly ground pepper on canned tomatoes because it “brings out the flavors and natural sweetness like magic,” Dunston says. “If you’re on a low- or no-sodium diet, sprinkle in some chili flakes.”
A top-quality Spanish, Italian or Portuguese extra virgin olive oil drizzled on top of the soup before serving “is also going to take your gazpacho to a whole other level,” she says.
Experiment with these three recipes from foodies who’ve upped the ante on an age-old soup.
![Red pepper almond gazpacho a bowl of red pepper almond gazpacho soup shown from above with almonds next to it on the table](https://cdn.aarp.net/content/dam/aarpe/en/home/home-family/your-home/info-2023/gazpacho-recipes/_jcr_content/root/container_main/container_body_main/container_body1/container_body_cf/body_one_cf_one/par7/articlecontentfragme/cfimage.coreimg.50.932.jpeg/content/dam/aarp/home-and-family/your-home/2023/08/1140-red-pepper-almond-gazpacho.jpg)
Red Pepper Almond Gazpacho
Courtesy of John Eisensmith, chef, instructor and owner of Season to Taste, a culinary school in Durham, North Carolina.
Note from the chef: “Around the world, there are a couple thousand people making gazpacho right now, and everyone is making it just a little bit differently. It’s just a combination of flavors that can be put together in different forms to make endless varieties. … It’s simply a puréed mixture of tasty vegetables or produce, balanced by a little bit of acidity and sweetness.”
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