Easy Gazpacho

Ingredients

• 1 English cucumber (chopped)
• 1/2 medium onion (Spanish, sweet, or red) (chopped)
• 1 medium green bell pepper (chopped)
• 6 medium tomatoes (see note)
• 2 cups tomato juice
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• Salt & pepper (to taste (use cayenne pepper if desired))
• For serving: chopped Kalamata olives, croutons, olive oil, etc. (optional, to taste)

Instructions

1. 1

   Add the chopped cucumber, onion, and green bell pepper to a bowl and toss together. Reserve about 1/3 of the mixture (I just put it into a smaller bowl), and add the rest to your blender.

2. 2

   Roughly chop the tomatoes and add them to the blender along with the tomato juice, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic. Blend until smooth and then transfer to a pot or large bowl.

3. 3

   Stir the remaining chopped veggies into the soup.

4. 4

   Give the soup a taste and season with salt & pepper as needed (I'm generous with both), then refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until it's very cold. This soup is even better the next day when the flavors have had some time to meld.

5. 5

   Serve the gazpacho chilled. Garnish with, croutons, Kalamata olives, and a drizzle of olive oil if desired.