So, one of my coworkers is making photocopies the other day, and she goes to me:
- You’re not big on cold soups, you, are you?
(I have had bad experiences with cold soups…)
I’m like:
- Well, it depends… what do you have to propose? It’s been so hot lately, I guess I’d be open to giving it another try… Any meal with the word “refreshing” associated to it would be more than welcome!
So she handed me the recipe that she was making photocopies of. It was for a cold cucumber soup. Precisely THE kind of soup that I had had bad experiences with.
But, since I did have a cucumber that needed to be used up in my fridge, AND I also happened to have ALL the required ingredients, including the dill, (I had planned on making a cucumber & chick pea salad but I just wasn’t feeling it), I decided that I would give this soup a go and asked for my own copy, if you please.
What a great decision that was! It totally reconciled me with cucumber soup. Totally! Completely. Honestly…
If you are looking for a quick, easy and super refreshing meal idea for a crazy hot and humid summer day, look no further. It doesn’t get any better than this, I tell you!
This cold cucumber soup takes no more than 10 minutes to whip up and is just as refreshing as a large glass of icy cold water, if not more. Plus, it tastes so much better.
There is only one small little detail though. This one HAS to be made ahead of time, for it needs to chill and macerate in the fridge for AT LEAST 4 hours. I guess the best way to go is to make it the night before, or in the morning. If you do make it the night before though, you might want to make some extra, for chances are you won’t be able to resist bringing a bowl with you to work.
Hey, one has to have lunch, now, don’t they?
INGREDIENTS
(Serves 1 as main dish or 2-3 as an entrée)
(Adapted from a copy from a magazine for which I don’t have the info. Sorry!)
- 1 cup seedless cucumber, peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup 0% plain greek yogurt
- 1 green onion, diced
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 2 tbsp fresh dill
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley
- 1 tsp salted herbs (I buy this ready-made at my local grocery store)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add all the ingredients to your food processor and blend until nice and smooth.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. This step is crucial as it really changes the flavor and consistency of the soup.
- Serve chilled and garnish with a few slices of cucumber and sprigs of fresh dill.
Did I mention it was hot? Just look at that glass of water! No, I did not spray it! 
Just look at that beautiful texture. Yummy, crisp, cold, refreshing!
You are the THE reference for food photography as far as I’m concerned…even the way you arrange the dill on the plate….the lighting….everything CALLS TO US to make this …..I personally cannot wait to try this fresh idea out!! Also….those crackers look as if they were MADE to go with the soup…can you provide the reference or recipe?? Always lovin’ your blog….Your genuine love of the creative process of healthy cooking and your ingenuity keep us all “hooked”….MERCI BIEN…,
Oh my, Donna, thank you so much. What a lovely, lovely thing to say. I am flushed! As for the crackers, you are quite right, it does look like they were made to go with that soup. I haven’t made them myself, however, they are a nice little discovery that I made a couple of weeks ago. They are called Finn Crisps and they are really really good. Careful though, they are almost as addictive as rice cakes (if you are a rice cake lover, that is!), only the list of ingredients is much better than that of rice cakes!
I am not really a fan of cold coups either. But I also just might want to give it another try! Ingredients are simple and sounds quick and easy to make and it sounds delicious too.
I think it also has a lot to do with your photos!! Beautiful!
Thank you much Chinmayie! If you do end up giving it a try, let me know if it worked for you too!
What a beautiful soup!
I have blogged about a cold cucumber soup, but I love the looks of this one with the dill.. I just love dill. Beautiful photos, too! Thank you for sharing!
This soup is a typical Bulgarian and it’s called “TARATOR”. We usually make it in the summer. But the recipe is a little bit different – we don’t put parsley and mustard. Instead of them we put 1 tbsp sunflower oil and 1 tbsp grinded walnuts. Also it’s better to use garlic, not the green one.
Bon appetit!
Hey, thanks for that Emma. I will try and remember the name. I like the idea of ground walnuts. I think I will give it a try next time!
Absolutely Tarator and typical in the hot summer days in Bulgaria. I just had one! Garlic and dill are a must and walnuts give it a nice taste. Glad you found that recipe and great pictures, Sonia!
Then next time, I will definitely try adding the walnuts! Not sure about garlic, though. I think I still will leave that one out. Thank you very much for your the great feedback, Marina.
BEAUTIFUL soup! I am not a huge fan of dill but should give it another try since this looks amazing!
Bah, if you don’t like dill, I guess you can just leave it out… or use half the quantily! I happen to love dill, so it was actually a plus for me!
I also skip sometimes the dill, because I’m not a huge fan, the soup is good without it also.
Sonia, if you are interested in Bulgarian kitchen, just ask
Love all the dill in this refreshing summer soup. Such a soothing color of green too!
WOW, this looks delicious and your pictures are stunning!
Beautiful photos, as always! And that soup looks amazing. Give me a little smoked salmon on those crackers and a bowl of the soup – I’d be in heaven!
I too had a bad experience with cold soup. But this one looks just too good not to try plus it’s cucumber which i absolutely love.
You need to try gazpacho. It’s a fantastic summer soup and is delicious. Recipe is on my website (I’m awful at taking pictures, though.)
I really meant to try that, but all the recipes I could find called for tomato juice or canned tomatoes. I want to make one using fresh tomatoes only. I’ll go check yours out! Maybe it’s the one I’d been waiting for?
hmmm, Tarator!
Yes, Emma is right, lose the mustard and add some nuts!
It’s the best meal for the summer!
thanks for recipe! gonna try it tomorrow
but may you write how much grams in one cup of cucumber please?:)
Ouf, I have no idea Katie… I used about half a large seedless cucumber. Hope this helps!
oh, thank you very much
i think it helps 
the problem is that i’m from Russia and not acquainted with British measures very much. but i loved you recipe so much and think it can’t be real obstacle 
Hiya,
this is a *brilliant* recipe. I got a bunch of huge and wondrous cucumbers from the local farmstand and had a serious hankering to have them in a chilled soup. I used to make it using canned Cream of Potato soup as a base, but the Greek yogurt is definitely the way to go.
And absolutely, positively try the Gazpacho. It is Summer In Your Mouth. I’m in New Hampshire and the tomatoes are fabulous right now. Should be the same up your way. Keep it simple!! The veggies spice themselves–too many people are tempted to over salt it or put in too much taste crushing condiments like Worcestershire sauce.
Thank you for doing this blog!
Thank you George! Glad you liked the Greek yogurt in the soup!
I did try the Gazpacho… in fact, I made many cold soups over the course of the summer, and I have one final one that I need to make before summer is over. Sheesh! I need to hurry!
Thank YOU for reading this blog!
great recipe, but reading all this is a real *pain* for my eyes. Maybe make the font a darker color in the future?
just a thought
I hear you, a.t. I’ll see what I can do about making that font color a tad darker. Thanks for your input, I appreciate that!
Wow this looks amazing! I’ve been looking for a cold cucumber soup recipe & can’t wait to try this… one question though – is there a substitute for salted herbs or can you tell me what it is? I’ve never heard of this before.
Thanks!
It’s too bad salted herbs aren’t more readily available in other parts of the world… You can use dried herbs, such as parsley, thyme, oregano, a little bit of garlic and of course, salt.
I just mixed this up and it’s in the fridge waiting for me for tomorrow! I did forget to pick up a green onion but that probably won’t matter to me. I think I could have just put this in a glass straight out of the food processor! I didn’t think I would be able to find the salted herbs either but I did (or at least something close enough…A. Vogel Herbamare Herb Seasoning Salt – it seems to have most of the ingredients from the link you shared.
http://www.avogel.ca/en/shop/health_food/herbamare_orig.php
This is fabulous! So easy to make and so delicious! I’m sure I will be having this a lot this summer.
So happy you liked it Joann! I so happen to have 3 huge cucumbers in the fridge… I think I’ll be making a batch for myself today. Have you tried the cantaloupe one yet? OMG, that one is simply glorious! I just can’t get enough of it when cantaloupe is in season!