Grilled soup, ever had it? How about Grilled Gazpacho? Now we’re talkin’. The best way to use up the bounty of the tomato season is to make this gazpacho. Not truly authentic, but oh so good.
Yes, it’s a soup, a refreshing chilled soup, usually with uncooked tomatoes and cucumbers. Spanish in origin, but I put my own little twist on it. Grill the tomatoes with some zucchini (also abundant right now) and fresh thyme. I love the smoky, charred flavor of the tomatoes with the freshness of the garlic, shallot, and a long red chili for some heat. Chunks of crusty bread, blended in along with some olive oil, gives the soup body and richness. Red wine vinegar adds a touch of acidity. If you let the gazpacho rest overnight the flavors are even better.
Try this Grilled Gazpacho with:
- Grilled Shrimp
- Finely chopped shallot or red onion on top
- Manchego cheese along with the crusty grilled bread (it’s like that classic tomato soup and grilled cheese, only a summertime version!)
Grilled Gazpacho
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45+chill time
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Main meal soup
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ripe fresh tomatoes*, cored and halved along their equator (see photo)
- 1 tablespoon plus 1/4 cup olive oil
- Kosher salt (affiliate link) and freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 thick slice crusty bread, torn into 1-inch pieces
- 1 shallot, peeled and roughly chopped (a small red onion will work great too)
- 1 small garlic clove, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1–2 small long red chili**, stemmed, seeded and roughly chopped
- 1–2 teaspoons fresh thyme, stripped from stem (or 2 tablespoons fresh basil)
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (sherry or white wine vinegar will work if you don’t have red) (more if needed, to taste)
- Chicken stock or water
- English cucumber, finely diced (for garnish)
Instructions
- Toss tomatoes and zucchini with 1 tablespoon oil, ½ teaspoon kosher salt (affiliate link), and a few cranks of freshly cracked pepper into a large bowl. Let stand for at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour.
- Preheat grill to high, cover, and heat until very hot about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.
- Clean and oil cooking grate. Place tomatoes and zucchini cut sides down on the grill (reserve any juice left behind in the bowl) and grill (covered) until tomatoes are charred and beginning to soften. Using tongs or thin metal spatula, carefully flip tomatoes and continue to cook until skin sides are charred but are not too mushy. Transfer tomatoes to bowl and cool.
- Place grilled veg and any juices, bread, shallot, garlic, chili pepper, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt (affiliate link) into the blender and blend on high for 1 minute. With blender running, slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup olive oil until completely smooth, about two minutes longer. Strain soup through a strainer into a large measuring cup, using a rubber spatula to press the soup through a strainer. Stir in thyme (or basil) and vinegar. Add enough chicken stock or water to make four cups. Taste for seasoning.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to carry all the flavors. Taste again before serving. Often the chilling process deadens flavors, so you may need to up it a bit. Season with salt, pepper, and extra vinegar to taste. Serve with some grilled crusty bread, rubbed with garlic and olive oil. Garnish with chopped cucumber if desired.
Notes
*Use any variety of tomato you’d like, heirloom would be particularly good, but tiny cherries are awesome too! When cutting the tomatoes, if they seem overly ripe, squeeze them over a strainer and catch the juice in a bowl, reserve for later. Too wet the tomato may not get a nice char.
**Best way to check for heat in chili is to taste it, you just never know
Keywords: Tomato Gazpacho, Grilled Tomatoes, Healthy Tomato Soup, Tomato Soup, Gazpacho, Grilled Vegetables, Heirloom Tomatoes, Summer Soup, Cold Summer Soup, Vegetarian Soup
Other delicious summer soups and salads you may want to try:
- Tortilla Soup, one of our favs
- Grilled Ratatouille, okay not a soup, but oh so summer
- Grilled Corn, Pepper and Tomato Chowder, stick to your ribs good
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