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Chilled Tomato Beet Soup with Cashew Kale Pesto

Chilled Tomato Beet Soup with Pesto

If you like gazpacho, you will love this healthy, vegan chilled tomato beet soup! This recipe makes more pesto and cashew cream then you will need, but the leftovers will keep for about a week in the fridge. Toss the pesto with pasta or use as a sandwich spread, and substitute the cashew cream anywhere you would use sour cream.
Servings 4
Author Turnip the Oven

Ingredients

For the Tomato Beet Soup

  • 1 slice white sandwich bread 1-ounce
  • 2 pounds ripe tomatoes cored and quartered
  • 1 package Love Beets cooked beets 8.8-ounce
  • 1/2 large English cucumber peeled and diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 cup dry sherry
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

For the Cashew Kale Pesto

  • 2 cups lightly packed organic girl super spinach! or organic girl greens of your choice
  • 1/3 cup toasted cashews
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 small clove garlic chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

For the Cashew Cream (optional)

  • 1 cup whole raw cashews soaked in water overnight or for at least 8 hours
  • 1 clove garlic chopped
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • Large pinch kosher salt

Instructions

  1. To make the soup, combine the bread and 1/2 cup water in a small bowl and allow to stand for one minute. Squeeze the bread dry. Discard the soaking water.
  2. In a blender, combine the soaked bread, tomatoes, beets, cucumber, garlic, sherry, and salt and blend until smooth. With the motor running, gradually add the olive oil. (You may need to do this in batches--pour half of the tomato mixture into a bowl. Blend half of the olive oil into the remaining tomato mixture in the blender, then switch.)
  3. Chill the soup until very cold.
  4. To make the pesto, combine the greens, cashews, lemon juice, garlic, and salt in the work bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil.
  5. To make the cashew cream, drain the cashews and transfer them to a blender. Add the garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and 1/2 cup of water. Blend on high until the mixture is completely smooth and creamy. (Leftovers will keep for about a week in the fridge.)
  6. Serve the soup in bowls, drizzled with the pesto and cashew cream (if using).