I tend to eat warm, comforting soups for lunch in the cooler months and hearty, refreshing salads during the warmer ones. But after several days of eating one thing I suddenly tire of the routine and need to change it up. After days and days of summer salads, I’m ready for soup. Given the 90-degree weather many of us are experiencing, however, it’s gotta be cold, which is what this chilled gazpacho-style soup is all about.
Like gazpacho, this soup is tomato-based. So that it’s doable for my usual on-the-fly lunch, I start with canned petite-diced. Unlike gazpacho which is usually served as a first course, this soup is filled with hearty ingredients like beans, olives, and artichoke hearts, making it a light, yet substantial main course.
Chilled soups are my new kick for now, but since I quickly tire of having to eat the same thing everyday, it won’t be long before I back to salads. Stay tuned!
Gazpacho, Italian Style
Makes a generous 6 cups serving 6 to 8
If you can’t find fried peppers, usually located on the aisle with all the other jarred Italian antipasti, simply substitute roasted peppers
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) petite diced tomatoes, divided
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 can (15 to 16 ounces) small white beans, drained but not rinsed
1/2 cup each: finely diced red onion, diced fried peppers from a jar, chopped pitted kalamata olives, and chopped marinated artichoke hearts
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Puree 1/2 cup of the tomatoes along with 1/2 cup water and olive oil in a blender. Transfer to a medium bowl along with remaining ingredients including salt and pepper to taste; cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. (Can be made up to 2 days ahead).
This would be great to make ahead to take to work for lunch! I try to make lunches for the week every Sunday.
I’m definitely going to make this! And to make it even quicker to have it cold when I want it, I’m going to use a trick that I learned from the cookbook “Desperation Dinners” by Beverly Mills & Alicia Ross – pre-chill the ingredients by putting the cans of petite diced tomatoes, beans and the jars of roasted red peppers and marinated artichoke hearts in the fridge early in the day. Pre-chilled ingredients = instant chilled gazpacho! Yum!