This tasty gazpacho is loaded with fresh crunchy veggies and has white beans added for creaminess. It’s my favorite variation of gazpacho, the Spanish cold vegetable soup. Some don’t contain any tomatoes, some contain bread chunks, and some have added fish or shellfish. It’s a tomato-based version loaded with crisp fresh vegetables and spiced up with hot smoked paprika.
Adding the white beans only adds to the protein content and makes it more of a main dish recipe. It’s a bit more work to cut up the veggies with a knife instead of a food processor, but it’s worth it. The soup retains its texture and looks lovely with all the colors mixed together like a rainbow.
Start with a very sharp knife, wash the veggies well (please use organic!) and get ready to chop. My preferred veggies for this gazpacho are green bell pepper, red onion, cucumber, jalapeno, and yellow tomatoes (if you can find them). It really make for a great looking soup when you serve it.
Chop all the veggies about the same small size.
Simply add them to the tomato base, stir well and add the spices. Garnish with white beans and cilantro with hot sauce and lemon wedges on the side.
Serve it with this delicious Broiled Polenta with Olives and Tomatoes for a great summer meal.
Gazpacho with White Beans
Prep
Inactive
Total
Yield 4-6 servinge
Gazpacho has many variations, so feel free to vary the ingredients of this versatile summer meal.
Ingredients
- 28 ounce can organic crushed tomatoes with their juice
- 16 ounces (2 cups) low sodium tomato juice
- 1 large green bell pepper
- 1 small or half of one large red bell pepper
- 1 jalapeno (check for hotness before adding)
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- 1 large yellow tomato (you can use a red tomato, but the yellow adds a nice look)
- 1 large cucumber, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 cup uncooked white beans or 1 can white beans
- 1-2 teaspoons smoked hot paprika
- fine sea salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
- lemon wedges for garnish
- chopped cilantro for garnish
Instructions
If you will be cooking the beans from dried, soak them for at least 1-2 hours, drain, and cook on medium heat, covered with 2 inches of water for about 1 hour or until the beans are very tender. Drain and reserve the cooking liquid. If you are using canned beans, drain them; no need to reserve the liquid.
Chop all of the vegetables finely and about the same size. If the jalapeno is very hot, use as much as you think necessary. (It's easier to make it hotter than to end up with a dish that's too spicy-hot for eating.)
Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato juice to a very large bowl. Remove any tomato stems if necessary. Add all of the chopped vegetables and stir well to combine. Add the salt, hot smoked paprika, vinegar, and pepper. Taste for hotness/smokiness/texture. If the mixture is too thick, add more tomato juice or a bit of the reserved bean cooking liquid. The soup should have a chowder-like consistency.
Chill the soup well and check again for seasoning. Top with a few tablespoons of white beans, chopped cilantro and serve with lemon wedges.
Courses soup
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