Chilled Cucumber, Yogurt, and Mint Soup
Lately I’ve been trying to give chilled soups a second chance. For some reason, up until now, I haven’t been a big fan of cold soups. Even on days when it’s so hot that the sweat pours off of you, I (tend to) choose warm soups. But a very flavourful bowl of Spanish gazpacho, that I recently ate at a tapas restaurant, has made me looking at cold soups in a new light. The ultra refreshing soup was a mixed vegetable one, but with cucumbers being the main flavour. The taste was complex, the colours vibrant, and best of all I didn’t break out into a puddle of sweat with each spoonful. It was exactly what my body needed on that blazing hot day.
I’m still working on trying to duplicate that particular gazpacho recipe, but until I do, I have another cooling soup to share with you. This one was inspired by wanting to clean out my refrigerator of some small leftover ingredients. This recipe was inspired by one of Martha Stewarts, but with some minor tweaks based on the ingredients I had at hand. The results were pretty tasty, not to mention a great use for that extra cucumber, homemade Greek yogurt, and the sprigs of fresh mint from my garden. But as good as it tasted, I think I may lean more towards to non-dairy based chilled soups — Hey, you never know until you start experimenting, right?
Below is the recipe in case you’d like to give it a try. Please feel free to adjust the consistency and ingredients to your personal taste. Enjoy!
- 1 large cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 small stalks of fresh mint, leaf only
- pinch of granulated garlic
- fine sea salt to taste
- quarter teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 green onion, only use both green and white parts and roughly chop them
- three-quarter cup unsweetened white yogurt
- quarter cup of water
- freshly squeeze lemon juice to taste
- In a blender (or you can also use a food processor) pour in the water, then yogurt, then the rest of the ingredients. Process or blend until everything is completely broken down and you have a smooth, creamy soup. Leave the soup to chill completely before serving. To serve, top with a couple of small pieces of cucumber and a mint leaf.
Love cucumbers? Check out these recipes
Agua de Pepino or Mexican Cucumber Drink
Cucumber Sandwiches, a British Tradition
Sunday Snapshots: Crispbread Crackers with Cheese and Cucumbers
Pepinos Con Chile y Limon Or Cucumbers with Chile and Lime (vegan)
And don’t forget the pickles! Crunchy Dill Pickles (Refrigerator Style)
Refreshing and delicious!
Cheers,
Rosa
Thank you Rosa!
What a refreshing, cool soup Nancy and great photo! I think I will save the tastings of cold soup for summer!
That’s right, it’s still winter for you. Maybe you’ll remember it for your coming summer. Thanks Joanne!
I like myself chilled soups :) this one must taste very fresh :)
Thank you Medeja, hope you give it a try.
I think it must be a birthday thing… I also have had a hard time eating “cold” soups. I also would much rather eat a hot bowl of soup any day. :) I think of cold soups more like savory smoothies… but this one does look cooling and refreshing. :)
Hehe, us b-day twins! Thanks Ramona
I love cold cucumber soups! And mint is a wonderful ingredient in them. Dill is too, and worth a try. This looks terrific — thanks.
Thank you John!
i’m with you, normally not a cold soup kind of lady. but this weather! !! and this flavor combo looks delicious.
Glad to see I’m not alone, thanks Anna!