Healthy Cold Soup Recipes

There's no reason to only use cucumbers raw--they are wonderful sautéed then pureed with avocado for a silken-textured soup that's good warm or cold.

This is one of the few soups that make the cut in summer. Serve it chilled to take the edge off a hot August night.

Sweet strawberries and tart rhubarb are whirled together in this chilled soup. Serve it as a starter for an early-summer supper.

Forget the tomatoes--this green gazpacho is full of cucumber, green bell pepper, green grapes and lots of fresh herbs.

The delicate flavors of cucumber and watermelon go hand in hand to create a sweet-and-savory chilled soup, perfect as a first course on a hot night.

This tomatillo-based gazpacho is gorgeously green with a tart flavor that complements the sweet shrimp and salty olives. Make this meatless by substituting ricotta salata or feta for the shrimp. Serve with: Cheese quesadillas.

Yellow tomatoes have a lower acidity than their red cousins and several varieties are among the earliest in the season to ripen. Here they combine with cool cucumber and yellow bell peppers in a refreshing salsa. Grilled shrimp make this dish a more full-flavored and elegant version of shrimp cocktail.

This refreshing summer soup is a great starter for dinner on the patio on a summer evening. Try any variety of melon in this recipe. Serve leftover soup with salad for lunch the next day.

Grill the vegetables for this refreshing soup earlier in the day or even the night before. We sometimes serve the gazpacho in clear Spanish wine tumblers to show off the rich color.

Delightful and refreshing, this chilled soup works as an appetizer, dessert or snack. If using frozen blueberries, cover the pan in Step 1 to bring the cold blueberry mixture to a boil more quickly.

Tangy buttermilk and fresh mint make this chilled soup a refreshing starter in the summer.

The yellow vegetables of summer--fresh corn, yellow tomatoes and yellow peppers--make this slightly sweet gazpacho soup recipe a beautiful and delicious alternative to red gazpacho.

Inspired by Spanish pureed gazpachos, this golden-yellow one is based on an idea of Greg Parks's at the Four Columns Inn in Newfane, Vermont.

Though gazpacho originated as a soup made with bread, today tomato gazpacho recipes are often made with diced vegetables, tomato juice and seasonings, and no bread at all. It's a different approach, but one that's just as delicious, especially with a little seaside flair from Old Bay seasoning and lobster or shrimp floated on top. If you don't have time to cook lobster, buy precooked lobster or ask at the fish counter to have it cooked while you wait.

This cold cucumber-dill soup has a surprisingly seductive taste. The secret is that both the broth and the yogurt garnish are loaded with fresh (never dried) dill and chives. Serve as a starter or a light lunch entree. The recipe calls for “handfuls” of herbs; if you are relying on the grocery store instead of the garden or farmers' market, you'll need about one large bunch or one to two 2- to 3-ounce packets. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.

Gazpacho is a delicious way to eat more veggies. Think of it as a vegetable smoothie. Not only does Chef José Andrés keep a pitcher of this healthy gazpacho recipe in his refrigerator all summer, it's also served at Beefsteak, his chain of vegetable-driven restaurants.

White gazpacho is made with bread, almonds, grapes and garlic and is one of the traditional Spanish gazpacho variations. In this white gazpacho soup recipe we add cucumbers and honeydew, whir it in a blender and it becomes silky, a little toasty (from the almonds) and refreshing.

This easy gazpacho recipe is heaven on a hot day. Just puree everything in a blender and top the gazpacho with a drizzle of great olive oil.

This fresh take on gazpacho--a chilled tomato soup--is spiked with chopped chipotle peppers, which add a deep, smoky heat to the dish. The cilantro-yogurt swirl balances the heat from the chiles and makes a beautiful garnish. Serve this soup as a starter for dinner on a warm summer evening..

Cold fruit soups are a refreshing end to a summer's evening.