I originally shared this recipe back in August 2014. At that time, I called it “Hummus Gazpacho.” I was insanely proud of this recipe (it’s delicious, refreshing, and full of protein!) but it never really caught on. I guess “Hummus Gazpacho” sounds a little weird. Perhaps “Creamy Chickpea Gazpacho” will appeal? So I’m trying again, re-sharing this really wonderful summer recipe with a bit of a rebrand. If anyone out there is willing to give this one a try, let me know if you like it as much as we do! … Or if adding chickpeas to gazpacho is just too out there, and I’m nuts. Either/or. 🙂
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Forever and a day ago, I was chatting over a bowl of restaurant gazpacho with a good friend of mine. She had spent some college time in Spain, and it was there she learned that authentic gazpacho has stale bread in it. “Bread!” I thought. “Gross!” I thought. “Uncool,” I also thought.
Okay, so I had a lot of one-word thoughts about this whole thing. I was not a fan of this hare-brained idea, hmmph, soggy bread in cold tomato soup. No freakin’ thanks. But I convinced myself (quite easily, I admit) that I was not eating an authentic, bread-logged version, and polished off my bowl.
Gazpacho is a refreshing chilled summer soup made with garden tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, and other tasty veggies. If you’ve never been inclined to try cold soup, I beg you to try gazpacho. You’ll never look back.
And honestly, I now know that you probably won’t be able to tell if yours has bread in it. It’s used to add thickness and body to the soup. And I can totally appreciate that it does that.
But if I’m making soup at home, bread is going to be a dipping mechanism only, thanks. And up until a few days ago, I was fine with enjoying my own homemade gazpacho on the breadless, thinner side. Until. Until! I had an idea. What if. What if!!! I blended a few chickpeas into the mix to add that thickness and body back into the mix? And even better? What if I added other classic hummus ingredients, too?! Some creamy tahini; lemon juice. Garlic. Cumin. And a few roasted chickpeas on top for good measure.
Creamy Chickpea Gazpacho was born.
To give credit where credit is due, I was inspired by this stunning soup from Andrea, the wonderful farmer-blogger over at Dishing Up the Dirt. It wasn’t much of a leap to take her blended-in tahini and chickpea topper over to gazpacho land. Thank you, Andrea, for inspiring me to chickpea-up some cold soup!
I think this soup is pretty wonderful, and it’s not just because I’m biased and semi-blissed-out by its breadlessness.
The chickpeas and tahini lend a creaminess that makes this soup pretty dang addicting. A shallot adds a bit of heat, garlic lends its signature bite, and lemon makes it zing.
Creamy Chickpea Gazpacho Soup is one of the best ways to enjoy fresh-off-the-vine summer tomatoes, and that time is now, my friends! My gosh, I love tomato season. Bring ’em on. In every color of the rainbow, please.
And then I’ll whir them into chilled summer bliss, piled high with salty-crisp roasted chickpeas, diced tomatoes, and crisp cucumbers. This soup will be happening a lot this summer. Bread on the side.
Originally published Aug. 14, 2014