This is wonderfully delicious, with no hint of borscht, of which I am not a fan. If you are like me, and roast your beets the moment you come home from the farmer’s market, and put them in a snap-lid in the refrigerator, this recipe comes together very quickly.  However, if you don’t know how to roast beets, learn how to do so here and your salads will thank you from now on!

Please note: to make this soup, you’ll need a good blender to puree it nice and smooth. Mine is this Vitamix, which we own instead of a TV, and is worth every penny.

Like most gazpacho’s, we serve this cold. It’s a bit like a vegetable smoothie in a bowl. Unlike a lot of gazpachos, this one is not spicy, although you could add spicier peppers if you wish– those in my photo are sweet “picnic peppers” from our garden. You could also add a dash of hot sauce, if you don’t want to taste these gorgeously delicate flavors.

I make this beet gazpacho two ways. One is with some cantaloupe and a bit of mint (not too much or it will ruin that great color). The other is with a plum and a dollop of plain yogurt, and the color on that one is slightly more beautiful with the yogurt lightening it somewhat. (The version in these photos is the cantaloupe one.) Both cantaloupes and plums share this season with all the other veggies in this soup, so they make sense in this dish as flavor (and color) enhancers.

2 tomatoes, stems removed
1 small cucumber, peeled (to allow the green skin not to mess with the fabulous color)
2 small (or one larger) beet, roasted and peeled
1 clove garlic
1 red bell pepper or 5 red picnic peppers, seeds and stem removed

and option #1: a handful of cantaloupe and 8-12 mint leaves
or option #2: 1 plum (pit removed) plus a dollop of plain yogurt

Whir all this in your high speed blender until completely smooth.

Eat it immediately or refrigerate it for a few days before eating.

Enjoy!