When summer weather is hot and steamy, solid food often has little appeal. If you're longing for something refreshing, as well as nutritious, the answer just might be a cold summer soup.

Cold soups can be made from fruits or vegetables, and may or may not contain dairy products. Perhaps the most well-known cold soups are vichyssoise, a French potato-leek soup that is cooked and then chilled, and gazpacho, the Spanish blend of fresh
summer vegetables and herbs with olive oil and broth or ice water.

It is not surprising that Mediterranean cultures are a rich source for cold soups. Both Europeans and North Africans make use of seasonal vegetables, yogurt, and the
ubiquitous olive oil to produce practical cold soups of humble origin that are delicious in their simplicity. And, in a climate of long hot summers, refreshing as well.

Cool Summer Soup Recipes

Cucumber and Yogurt Soup
Serves 6

Dried mint is preferred for its sweeter flavor, with fresh mint used as garnish. This recipe would also work with dill weed or tarragon in place of mint.

2 slender, medium cucumbers, unwaxed if possible
salt, to taste
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tbs. white wine vinegar
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1½ cups plain yogurt, nonfat
1 Tbs. dried mint
1 cup ice water
fresh mint leaves for garnish (optional)

Peel and slice the cucumbers. If they’re very seedy, cut into quarters lengthwise and cut away the seeds before slicing. Place the slices in a bowl, and toss with a little salt. Set aside for 15 minutes or longer to draw some of the liquid out of the cucumbers.

In a large bowl, mash the garlic to a paste with 1 teaspoon salt, using the back of a spoon. Stir the vinegar into the paste and then stir in the oil. Add the yogurt and dried mint and mix. Stir in the ice water.

Place the cucumber slices in a colander and rinse them well. Add the drained cucumbers to the soup. Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving in individual bowls garnished with fresh mint leaves.

-The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook by Nancy Harmon Jenkins

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Green Gazpacho
Serves 6

Traditional gazpacho is a tomato-based soup with garlic, onions, peppers, and cucumbers. This beautiful green variation leaves out the tomato, but keeps the traditional use of day-old bread. Do not be put off by the number of ingredients; it goes together quickly. This soup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

4 slices firm-textured bread, crusts removed
2 cloves garlic, peeled
¼ cup fresh parsley leaves
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
4 scallions, coarsely chopped (½ cup)
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 green pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
½ lb. seedless green grapes, cut in half (1 cup)
1 stalk celery, chopped
½ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. ground coriander
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs. white wine vinegar
¾ cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 cup defatted, reduced-sodium chicken stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, cover bread with water and let stand for 5 minutes. Remove bread and squeeze out excess moisture. In a food processor or blender, combine the moistened bread, garlic, parsley, and cilantro; puree until smooth. Set aside about one-third of the scallions, cucumbers, green peppers, and grapes. Add the remaining vegetables and grapes to the food processor, along with celery, cumin, coriander, cayenne, lemon juice, and vinegar; process until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in yogurt, stock, and the reserved vegetables and grapes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour, before serving.

-Eating Well Magazine, July/August 1993

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Ratatouille Soup
Serves 6

Unlike gazpacho, this blend of summer veggies is cooked first, then cooled. The zucchini, eggplant, and red pepper could also be roasted for an intense, smoky flavor and added to the food processor at the blending stage. Consider roasting extra vegetables when grilling another meal, in order to have them on hand for dishes like this.

2 lbs. ripe tomatoes
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 small eggplant, peeled and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cups defatted reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken stock
2 Tbs. fresh basil leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Blanch tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds and immediately immerse in cold water. Core and remove skins. Cut tomatoes in half and squeeze over a strainer set in a bowl. Reserve the juice and discard the seeds. Chop the tomatoes and add to the juice. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring for one minute. Stir in zucchini, eggplant, and red pepper, unless already roasted. Cook until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add stock, basil, thyme, cayenne, salt, pepper, and the reserved tomatoes and juice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes. Transfer to food processor and blend until smooth. If using roasted veggies, blend them at this point. Chill well and serve in individual bowls garnished with basil sprigs.

-Adapted from Eating Well, July 1994

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Herbed Melon Soup
Serves 6

12 cups diced cantaloupe
2 Tbs. chopped fresh basil
3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
6 sprigs fresh basil, for garnish

Combine the first 3 ingredients and puree, in batches, in a blender. Refrigerate for about 2 hours. To serve, divide into 6 bowls and garnish with basil sprigs, if desired.

-Shape Cooks magazine, Summer 1996

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Strawberry Soup
Serves 6

1 cup water
½ cup sugar
1½ cup sliced strawberries
1 cup chopped peeled mango
½ cup chopped pineapple
3 (8 oz.) strawberry low-fat yogurt
1 cup sliced strawberries
mint sprigs (optional)

Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Let cool slightly.

Combine sugar mixture, 1½ cups sliced strawberries, mango, pineapple, and yogurt in a blender; process until smooth. Pour into a bowl; cover and chill.

Spoon soup in each of 6 small bowls and garnish with sliced strawberries and mint, if desired.

-Adapted from Cooking Light magazine, June 1996

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Melon Soup
Serves 8

Any melon but watermelon can be used to make this delicious soup: honeydew, cantaloupe, crenshaw, or Persian. The soup needs to be well-chilled, so make it ahead by several hours or put the bowl of soup inside a larger bowl filled with ice, plenty of salt, and a little water to speed-chill it.

6½ to 7 lbs of ripe melons (1 or 2 melons)
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp. ground mace
pinch of coarse salt
1 Tbs. sugar
3 Tbs. heavy cream
8 sprigs fresh mint (optional)

Wash the melons, quarter them, and remove and discard the seeds. Cut 24 balls with a melon baller. Place in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate.

Cut the remaining melon pulp from the rind, and slice pulp into ½ inch pieces. Puree, in batches, in a blender or food processor. Add the cayenne, mace, salt, and sugar to the first batch and blend. Transfer all batches to a bowl and mix well.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 8 hours or overnight. When the puree is very cold, stir in the cream, and taste for sugar. Add more if needed. To serve, fill chilled soup bowls with the soup and drop 3 melon balls into each. Garnish with mint, if desired.

-Soup, Beautiful Soup by Felipe Rojas-Lombardi

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