My husband loves gazpacho, and it just so happens to be super healthy, so once the warm weather hits I’m always coming up with new gazpacho recipes. This particular combo was actually my husband’s idea when we were brainstorming ideas for a 4th of July starter to serve at our party. I loved the idea of using watermelon – which everyone expects at a summer cookout – in an unexpected way. This watermelon-tomato gazpacho chilled soup is very refreshing, and the taste of watermelon isn’t entirely apparent – it adds a subtle sweetness to the gazpacho without overwhelming the tomato flavor.
I made watermelon-tomato gazpacho the day before I was ready to serve it, poured the gazpacho into 4 oz. canning jars and served them as individual gazpacho “shooters” (i.e. no spoon needed!) at our party. Leftover watermelon-tomato gazpacho will last for a few days in the fridge, though you will need to shake or stir the gazpacho before serving, as it separates into layers when standing for several hours.
If you want to use labels for the lids of the jars, as I did, be sure to use dishwasher safe (or waterproof) labels – otherwise they will likely bleed and become illegible. I used Martha Stewart Home Office with Avery Kitchen Labels (1 5/8” round with red border) for the 4 oz. canning jars pictured.
Make this refreshing soup in the summer when both tomatoes and watermelon are at their peak.
Ingredients
- 5 cups cubed watermelon
- 4 beefsteak tomatoes (about 1 ½ lbs.), cored, peeled, seeded & cut into 1”pieces
- 5 sprigs cilantro
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 5 Tbs. olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. fresh-ground black pepper
- splash sherry or red wine vinegar
- Heat 1 Tbs. olive oil in medium skillet over high heat. Add tomatoes to pan and cook until juicy (about 1-2 minutes). Remove from heat and add tomatoes to blender, along with watermelon.
- Add 5 sprigs cilantro and remaining 4 Tbs. olive oil to tomato-melon mixture. Puree until mostly smooth. Add lemon juice, salt, pepper and a splash of vinegar, to taste. Serve cold.
Notes
Note: To peel tomatoes, cut a small x in the bottom (non-stem end) of the tomatoes and drop them into boiling water for about 10 seconds; immediately plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. When tomatoes are cool enough to handle, you’ll be able to easily remove the peel. While peeling the tomatoes isn’t absolutely necessary, it makes the soup more refined and is really worth the extra step.
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love gazpacho! This looks like a great one!!