What to Serve with Gazpacho: 15 Dishes to Indulge In

Nothing celebrates harvest season like a bowl of fresh, and refreshing, gazpacho.

The sweet acidity of tomatoes, the slightly astringent cooling taste of cucumbers, the brightness of sherry vinegar, and a luscious texture, all make this blended chilled soup a balm in balmy weather.

Make it mild, herby, and fresh or make it a little spicy and invigorating. But when you have ripe tomatoes, herbs, and vegetables, bursting at the seams, you know it’s time to make it.

Oh, hey, blender. We’re about to have some fun.

Gazpacho originated in Spain, but it wasn’t until the 1800s that they started using tomatoes – from the New World – to make the “red gazpacho” that most of us associate with this chilled soup.

Which is another way of saying, tomatoes aren’t the only way to make an amazing gazpacho. Just as important are the soaked bread (for that luscious texture), vinegar, olive oil, and other vegetables, such as cucumbers.

Some traditional variations focus mainly on the combination of bread, herbs, and vinegar, while modern variations bring in completely different fruits and vegetables, from grapes, melons or mango to avocado or bell peppers.

No need to worry, though. Just because there are so many possible variations doesn’t mean that what to serve with gazpacho has to be a difficult decision.

Whether it’s center stage or a supporting player, we’re loaded with ideas to bring your next bowl of gazpacho to the next level.

What to Eat with Gazpacho: Our List of Delicious Accompaniments

So, let’s pull out that blender and put all that fresh produce to good use. Because it’s gazpacho time and things are about to get delicious.

1. Crusty French Bread

We love a good crusty bread that crackles when we even just look at it.

We mean, just look at this bread. You know what sound it’s going to make when you break a piece of it off to dip in your gazpacho.

Crack. Crunch.

And we found a recipe we love from Jesse over at Life as a Strawberry that gives us all the gorgeous crumb and crust of a hearty French bread, without waiting hours for it to develop.

2. Cheesy Spinach Quiche

What would be more perfect for a brunch than a big soup tureen filled with gazpacho?

How about a big soup tureen filled with gazpacho sitting next to a bright and beautiful cheesy quiche?

Why, yes. That would make everyone around the brunch table grin like it’s the best meal in the world.

Because it just might be.

Grab the quiche recipe from Sally over at Sally’s Baking Addiction for all the cheesy, veggie quiche goodness.

3. Ham and Cheese Jambon Pastries

We love a little boost of salty protein next to our gazpacho.

And little pastries packed with ham and cheese are something that sits pretty and proud on the table. They’re the perfect tiny bite of decadence.

Question: What more can gazpacho ask for?

Answer: Not much.

We love this recipe from Julia over at Happy Foods Tube. The pastry is crisp, the filling is cheesy and dreamy and salty.

4. Crostini with Green and Black Olive Tapenade

Super fresh gazpacho appreciates the company of briny flavors. The combination of the two makes the spoon sing and dance.

A spoonful of soup, then a spoonful of tapenade on crostini.

Oh, yeah. We’ve got your “nom, nom” right here.

Quite often tapenades are made with one type of olives, but we knew we wanted our side to be loaded with green and black olives.

Because, they go together like a paragon of amazing olive perfection.

We found this recipe from Ginny at Vegan in the Freezer and we have to say it’s olive-fection.

5. Herby Chicken Skewers

We love, love, love a good chicken skewer next to a bowl of gazpacho at a picnic. The sun on your shoulders, the bright soup in the bowl, the herbaceous chicken – it doesn’t get much better than that.

(Well, maybe if you take a break from eating to go play frisbee golf, that might be the cherry on top of a perfect day.)

And we love this recipe that we found from Neli at Delicious Meets Healthy. It’s loaded with lemon, thyme, and oregano, and grills up to party perfection.

6. Mediterranean Pasta Salad

We think that a hearty salad is a perfect side dish for gazpacho. And it doesn’t get heartier than a good pasta salad loaded up with bight artichokes, briny olives and capers, salty parmesan, and luxurious pine nuts.

So, we went looking for one that could match our expectations – and we found one that exceeded them.

Did we mention there’s pesto and sun-dried tomatoes involved too?

That’s pretty cool.

Grab the recipe from Marzia and Anees at Little Spice Jar.

7. Grilled Chorizo Kebabs

When we think of what goes with gazpacho, our skewer love doesn’t just start and end with chicken. We also love a hearty chorizo that’s been grilled to juicy perfection. Especially if there are veggies, bread, and a spicy sauce involved.

Because chorizo loves all those things.

We found a super fun recipe from Megan and Michael over at Fresh Off the Grid that makes us want to dine in the woods with our favorite soup and these skewers drizzled with spicy chimichurri sauce.

8. Tortilla Española

When we think of what entrée goes with gazpacho, we like to harken back to it’s humble roots. So, we go to the sunny lands of Spain.

The humble potato is elevated into a powerhouse of an entrée when its browned in a pan with eggs and then flipped out for the perfect standalone tart.

And we found this recipe from Albert at Spain on a For.  So, grab a big plate and let’s get that tort-a-flippin’!

9. Papo Seco (Portuguese Rolls)

Because papo seco translates to “dry throat” in Portuguese, that makes these crusty little rolls the perfect pairing for flavorful gazpacho.

Dunk ‘em in the soup – let ‘em soak it up – and be prepared to fall in love with this traditional bread that’s super crusty on the outside, and super airy and light on the inside.

Mmmm, traditional Portuguese bread.

We found a fantastic recipe from Maria over at Portuguese Diner that inspired us to get right in the kitchen and grab an apron.

10. Quick and Easy Fried Calamari

What could be more perfectly paired with gazpacho than crispy fried calamari?

The sweetness of the squid rounds out all the flavors of the pureed soup to elevate the flavors of the Mediterranean on the table.

Okay. We can’t say that sentence ten times fast, but you get the idea.

Deep fried squid is good.

We found an excellent recipe for this classic recipe from Krissy at Self Proclaimed Foodie that will make you want to rush out and visit your local fish monger.

11. Papas Arrugadas (Wrinkled Potatoes)

Potatoes cooked in salted water isn’t unusual. But potatoes cooked in a magnificent amount of salted water isn’t usual – which makes it pure bliss on a plate.

This traditional dish from the Canary Islands is pretty much the perfect side to anything, and especially gazpacho.

Simple.

Elegant.

Memorable in the best way possible.

These potatoes aren’t just a side dish, they’re an actual experience.

Grab Igor’s recipe from Cooking the Globe to learn the technique. And there are some pretty nifty sauces to go with the wrinkled potatoes too.

12. For-a-Crowd Spanish Meatballs

If you consider a batch of fresh gazpacho to be the reason for a party – and let’s face it, who doesn’t – why not make a huge batch of meatballs to be served alongside the soup?

Spanish meatballs are practically a party unto themselves (i.e. not your usual meatballs), which makes them the perfect side dish for a weekend get together.

They’re got the garlic we crave, along with two types of meat and a kiss of Manchego cheese.

Grab the recipe from Sarah at Curious Cuisiniere and start rolling!

13. Spanish Rice

Not to be “too on the nose,” but we do love to serve Spanish rice with Spanish dishes.

And it just makes good sense, because the rice is colorful, has a kiss of sweetness and spice, and is layered with flavor.

Which of course makes it an amazing dish to serve with gazpacho.

Onion, jalapeno, bell pepper, and cilantro all bring their own inimitable flavor profiles to the rice and make it utterly fork-friendly.

Grab the recipe from Jack and Martha at A Family Feast for all the goodness.

14. Brie Prosciutto and Pear Grilled Cheese

We’re a big fan of anything that brings on the “nom, nom, noms.”

And prosciutto is one of those things that makes us joyfully mumble to ourselves.

And when it’s combined with creamy brie, well, you can probably guess what we’re thinking.

In fact, we love finding things to serve with baked brie!

We know gazpacho loves being on a table with sandwiches, so we thought we’d up our sandwich game by throwing our favorite salty meat in between two pieces of bread and toasting it in butter with melty cheese and a sweet pear.

We were happy to find this recipe from Samantha at My Kitchen Love that makes the perfect rich tablemate for bright gazpacho.

15. Mexican Street Corn Salad

An excellent bowl of gazpacho deserves an excellent side salad. And we thought instead of wandering our mind’s eye back to Spain or Portugal, we’d head on down Mexico way.

And with all of that wandering, we of course thought about some fabulous street food.

Which led us to Mexican street corn. It’s the perfect meal when you’re on the go. However, because our gazpacho is stationary, we decided to turn our corn into a salad.

And we found a perfect version from Aysegul over at Fool Proof Living. Grilled corn, jalapenos, cilantro and a stunning dressing make the perfect companion for gazpacho.

What to Serve with Gazpacho: Which is the Main and Which is the Side?

So far we’ve been talking about gazpacho as the main dish in your meal, but gazpacho is humble enough to be a good team player too, and it loves to back up other stars as their side dishes.

Which is just to say, gazpacho can be the perfect choice as a side dish or a first course in a larger meal.

But, what entrée goes with gazpacho?

Because the cooling mix of sweetness and acidity in the gazpacho plays well with fresh, briny flavors, seafood and fish dishes are a natural match.

The freshness of shrimp and crabmeat plays like a dream with refreshing flavors of gazpacho. Although simple preparations can be great, don’t be afraid to play around with more elements in your seafood main dish.

From a straightforward herby sauté of shrimp to the more complex flavors of a Portuguese seafood stew or Spanish paella, your gazpacho will be happy.

Or the simple, poetic, gentle brininess of smoked oysters. Ooo la la.

Gazpacho also goes well with heartier meat dishes like grilled chicken – perhaps finished with an herb puree? – or roasted pork slathered in herbs and spices.

From Tapas to Toppings

It also helps to step back from the whole framework of “side dish” versus “main dish” controversy and consider the idea of Spanish tapas, with your gazpacho being just one of many small bites that make up a larger meal.

Think bacon-wrapped dates, pan con tomate, empanadas, bite-sized seafood appetizers, or croquettes. There are so many options for tapas, so have fun exploring your options.

Another great way to add interest to your gazpacho meal is to add toppings to help steer the flavor profile into interesting directions.

This can be as simple as a really good extra virgin olive oil infused with herbs and drizzled on top before serving.

Or try adding a southwestern flair with a bit of green tomatillo salsa, a scoop of pico de gallo, or a dollop of salsa verde.

But these are just the beginning. Adding proteins, particularly seafood and shellfish can bring in a stimulating new depth of flavor.

Grilled shrimp or crab, or even pan seared scallops are all great matches, as are a few succulent oysters.

All of these add an amazing textural contrast and a flavorful bite that’s distinct from the gazpacho while still being eminently harmonious.

Oh, and don’t forget the croutons!

This classic chilled soup is just waiting for you to serve it up with some of these delicious pairings.

What to serve with gazpacho is fun, simple, and oh, so, scrumptious. So have fun and dig in.