Fresh, Colorful Gazpacho Salad

by | Jan 10, 2014 | Salads

Fresh, Colorful Gazpacho Salad generally here in the United States is just that, a salad, not a soup which seems to be the tradition in Spain. It is fresh and colorful. It’s one of those great, make-ahead salads. There are many different versions of this classic standby.

The traditional gazpacho salad seems to have tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and garlic. Yet, there are some versions with bread and no tomatoes and others with almonds and no bread. However you decide to make your salad, cold, fresh ingredients should make your dish a hit.

You could do this early in the morning or the day before for all the flavors to mingle. It’s light yet a filling and wonderful salad.

It’s a family meal or you could take this to a potluck. It makes a great side-salad or you could use it as a main entree, by adding a few croutons to it. Or, you could even change it up a bit and add a grain such as quinoa, barley, rice or couscous.

This is a very old recipe my dear mother-in-law used to make. The recipe she used had cheese chunks and sliced hard-cooked eggs. I omitted them to make it vegan. But, if your tastes lean toward that direction, you could very well incorporate them to make it even more hearty.

In any event, I think you will enjoy this dish. It’s fresh, crunchy, colorful, and healthy. What more could you want?

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Fresh, Colorful Gazpacho Salad

Ingredients

  • 2 cucumbers, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
  • 1 small package of fresh button mushrooms, sliced
  • 4 green onions, sliced
  • 3/4 cup sliced celery
  • 1/3 cup fresh parsley, minced
  • 3 large tomatoes, cut up
  • 1 medium green pepper, cut up
  • Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • Place cucumbers in bowl and sprinkle with salt. Let stand 30 minutes.
  • In large salad bowl, combine olive oil, vinegar, garlic, basil and salt & pepper.
  • Add mushrooms and green onions. Drain cucumbers, pat dry and add to the salad bowl.
  • Add celery, parsley, tomatoes and green pepper. Mix well. Cover and chill for 4 hours.