Tomato Gazpacho

Name: Tomato Gazpacho
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Red peppers 2 cups; Tomato purée 1.3 cups; Cucumbers 5.3 oz; Datterino tomatoes 1 cup; Stale bread 3.5 oz; Black pepper to taste; Water 0.8 cup; Extra virgin olive oil 4 tbsp; Fine salt to taste; Brown sugar 1 ¼ tsp; White wine vinegar 2 tbsp; Stale bread ½ cup; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Basil to taste

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Serving: 4

PRESENTATION

Tomato Gazpacho gets one deliberate structural change here: a portion of the vegetables is quickly pan-sautéed before serving, so each bowl carries a warm note against the cold, velvety tomato base. That temperature contrast — the source calls it surprising — is what separates this version from a standard blended cold soup. The base itself is built on a full-bodied tomato sauce rather than a simple purée, giving it more body and a richer texture from the first spoonful. Light enough for a summer starter and substantial enough to open a meal, it works equally well as a first course or as a colorful beginning to an outdoor dinner.

Fresh, high-quality ingredients are the real foundation of this dish, and they matter more here than technique. The better the tomatoes, the better the bowl — and that principle carries through every element. Because the recipe positions itself as a Mediterranean reinterpretation rather than a strict classic, it earns a quiet gourmet quality without leaning on complexity. There is no need for elaborate preparation; the contrast between the chilled tomato base and the briefly sautéed vegetables does the work, making this tomato gazpacho a genuinely satisfying option for warm-weather cooking.

INGREDIENTS

Red peppers 2 cups (300 g)

Tomato purée 1.3 cups (300 g)

Cucumbers 5.3 oz (150 g)

Datterino tomatoes 1 cup (150 g)

Stale bread 3.5 oz (100 g)

Black pepper to taste

Water 0.8 cup (200 g)

Extra virgin olive oil 4 tbsp (60 g)

Fine salt to taste

Brown sugar 1 ¼ tsp (5 g)

White wine vinegar 2 tbsp (30 g)

For the croutons: Stale bread ½ cup (50 g); Extra virgin olive oil to taste

For garnish: Basil to taste

Preparation

How to prepare Tomato Gazpacho

To prepare the gazpacho with tomato sauce, soak the bread in water 1 for a couple of minutes, just until it softens. Then squeeze it out 2 and put it in the food processor. Peel the cucumber 3.

Cut it into small pieces 4. Clean and cut into pieces about 9 oz (approximately 1 2/3 cups) of red bell peppers 5. In the blender where you placed the squeezed bread, add the tomato purée (passata) 6, the cucumbers and the peppers.

Add the extra virgin olive oil 7, the salt 8 and the water 9.

Finish with the vinegar 10 and blend everything. Pass the resulting purée through a sieve 11 and place it in the refrigerator to chill 12.

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half 13 and cut the remaining bell pepper into strips 14. Heat a drizzle of oil in a pan, then add the cherry tomatoes 15.

Add the bell peppers 16, season with salt 17 and add the sugar 18.

Sauté them for 12–15 minutes to let them soften a little 19. Cut the bread into cubes 20 and toast it in a pan for five minutes with oil and salt 21.

To plate: pour some gazpacho onto the plate and add the croutons 22, the sautéed peppers and tomatoes 23. Finally, perfume with fresh basil leaves and dress to taste with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and freshly ground black pepper. The gazpacho with tomato sauce is ready to enjoy 34.