I love going to Farmer’s Markets. I always come home with an abundance of veggies and while I have the best of intentions to you use them all, often times I fall short. Those days are over now with this recipe for Summer Gazpacho Pasta Salad.

In my quest to use up the inordinate amount of fresh veggies I had on hand, I decided to make Gazpacho. Now I love Gazpacho, but unfortunately I am the lone one in my home with this love. My husband doesn’t care for it much and I won’t even attempt to try and feed this to my boys…until now… You see, I had this huge bowl of yummy Gazpacho in my fridge and decided to use it as a pasta sauce on some thin spaghetti last night. Add a bunch of parmesan, fresh basil, salt, pepper and you have a healthy, delicious meal that will definitely satisfy. What else could one ask for?

Summer Gazpacho Pasta
Use your favorite Gazpacho recipe (I have included mine below, but use whatever one you like)
1 pound of thin spaghetti, spaghetti or your favorite pasta
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup basil in chiffonade
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Boil your pasta in salted water according to package directions until al dente. Reserve one cup of pasta water before draining the pasta.

Drain the pasta and put it in a very large bowl for tossing. Let the pasta cool for about one minute and add approximately 2-3 cups of Gazpacho.

If the sauce seems a little watery, add a couple tablespoons of the reserved pasta water, a couple of tablespoons at a time to thicken it up. Add 3/4 cup of the parmesan and toss. Wait a few more minutes for the pasta to cool down and then add the fresh basil. If you add the basil while the pasta is too hot, it will cook the basil and that beautiful green color will darken and who wants that!

Serve lukewarm, cold or at room temperature. Garnish with fresh basil!

Gazpacho Recipe

Ingredients
5 large, ripe tomatoes
2 large red bell peppers, seeded
2 large orange or yellow bell pepper, seeded
1 cucumbers, peeled and seeded
2 celery stalks
2 small cloves garlic
1 small red onion
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup tomato juice
2 T. white wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tabasco sauce, to taste (if desired)

Directions
Cut vegetables, garlic, and onion into large chunks, and puree in batches in a blender or food processor, adding some of the olive oil to each batch.

Add tomato juice, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Add the Tabasco, if desired. Cover and chill at least 2 hours, or overnight. Taste before serving; adjust seasonings if necessary.