While the grill has become your summertime best friend, your number one cooking companion on hot, muggy nights, there’s a world of laid-back recipes beyond those that require marinades, jerk rubs, and glazes. Besides, with so much summer fun going on – such as a relaxing dip in the pool or a pick-up game of backyard croquet – you might not have time to give the grill the attention it needs.
Don’t sweat it! Chilled soup recipes are as simple as it gets. Unlike hot soups, they don’t need to be served immediately and therefore fit in perfectly with the delightful atmosphere of a summer barbecue.
Plus, the vegetables in your summer garden are popping with all the colors of the local farmers’ market. You can put your own spin on farm-to-table dinning by using the veggies, fruits, and fresh herbs found in your summer garden to make chilled soups.
From your garden to your bowl, here are five great chilled soup recipes:
Traditional Gazpacho
Originating in Andalucia, the southern-most province of Spain, gazpacho is probably the most popular chilled soup. It’s said that white gazpacho is older than the red soup widely known today, and that it was only when conquistadors brought tomatoes back from the Americas that the coloring changed. Gazpacho is a lot like a pureed salad, which makes it the perfect soup when the vegetables are weighing down the vines. The best part? A bowl of gazpacho is low in calories and high in flavor.
Recipe
| Servings |
| 8servings |
| Servings |
| 8servings |
- 8 Tomatoes boiled & pureed
- 3 Red Peppers core & seeded
- 2 Cucumbers halved & seeded
- 2 Red Onions chopped
- 6 Garlic Cloves minced
- 6 cups Tomato Juice
- 1/2 cup White Wine Vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 2 tsp Pepper
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- Chop the tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, and red onions into 1-inch cubes.
- Put each vegetable separately into a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.
- Combine vegetables into a large bowl and add minced garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper.
- Mix well and chill. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
- The longer the gazpacho chills in the refrigerator, the better the flavors develop.
Summer Borscht (Cold Beet Soup)
Talk about color! This pinkish-red soup has a summery hue that won’t be forgotten. Originally from the Ukraine, Borscht is not only popular all over eastern Europe, but a staple at summer lunch parties. Borscht is better if it’s made well ahead – the sweet, earthy flavors from the beets have a greater depth the longer it’s chilled.
Recipe
| Servings |
| 6servings |
| Servings |
| 6servings |
- 5 Beets
- 2 cups Cucumbers seeded & diced
- 1/2 cup Scallions chopped
- 2 Garlic Cloves chopped
- 2 tbsp Dill chopped
- 2 tbsp Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 1/2 cup Plain Yogurt
- 2 cups Chicken Stock
- 1/8 cup Sour Cream extra for serving
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- Boil beets in salted water for 30 to 40 minutes or until tender. Set beets aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, mix and whisk chicken stock, sour cream, yogurt, sugar, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add one and one-half cup beet cooking juice and continue to whisk.
- Peel beets and dice. Add beets, cucumbers, scallion, and dill to soup.
- Cover and chill overnight. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.
Vichyssoise
When you say you’re whipping up vichyssoise, chances are guests imagine a Great Gatsby-like party. The silky, elegant mixture of potatoes, leeks, onions and cream will send your taste buds on a delicious journey. While vichyssoise is traditionally served cold, it can also be eaten hot, so you can serve this recipe all year long.
Recipe
| Servings |
| 6servings |
| Servings |
| 6servings |
- 8 Leek Bulbs sliced into rings
- 2 Potatoes peeled & thinly sliced
- 2 cups Chicken Stock
- 2 cups Heavy Cream
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 1 Onion sliced
- 1 pinch Nutmeg
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup Chives chopped, for garnish
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- In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat and add leeks. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add potatoes and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring often.
- Stir in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer on low for 30-40 minutes, or until leeks and potatoes are soft. Let cool.
- Puree the soup in small batches in a blender.
- Return soup to pot and whisk in cream and nutmeg. Return to boil for 5 minutes.
- When the soup cools and is at room temperature, transfer it to a large mixing bowl. Cover with plastic, not foil, and chill in the refrigerator. Before serving, sprinkle soup with chives and add salt and pepper to taste.
Avocado, Radish, and Basil Soup
Most chilled soups are easy to make. You don’t need to be a Michelin-star chef to whip up a soup that goes from the blender to the bowl. It’s that simple elegance that makes avocado, radish, and basil soup such a special treat on a hot day. This healthy, no-cook soup is low in sodium and sugar and filled with healthy fats and vitamin C.
Recipe
| Servings |
| 5servings |
| Servings |
| 5servings |
- 2 Avocados
- 3 Radishes trimmed
- 1 1/2 cups basil leaves
- 3 cups Cold Water
- 1 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
- Pepper to taste
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- Scoop flesh from avocados. Puree in a blender with water, salt, and basil until smooth.
- Add trimmed radishes, a pinch of pepper, and pulse.
- Transfer to a mixing bowl and refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.
- Garnish with basil leaves before serving.
Chilled Zucchini Soup
If you have a vegetable garden, chances are it’s overflowing with fresh zucchini. Zucchini is nothing if not prolific, and unless you set up a roadside farmers’ market, you’re going to have a surplus by the end of the summer. The best way to use excess zucchini is to make a potluck-sized batch of chilled zucchini soup. Full of fresh flavors, the smooth, creamy soup is a summer favorite.
Recipe
| Servings |
| 4servings |
| Servings |
| 4servings |
- 4 Zucchinis chopped
- 1 Onion chopped
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 4 cups Vegetable Broth
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Pepper
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- Heat a pot over medium heat, then add butter or oil. Add chopped onion and cook until translucent, 5-7 minutes.
- Chop zucchini into 1-inch cubes. Add zucchini and vegetable broth to onion, bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Let cool.
- Working in small batches, puree soup in a blender until smooth.
- Cover and chill until cold.
- Stir in cream, and season with salt and pepper before serving.
