Twisted Fusilli Gazpacho
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Cold pasta meets a zesty cold sauce blending cucumber, tomato, and a kick of chili. Swaps out traditional peppers for jalapeños and balsamic vinegar for sherry. Cook fusilli al dente, chill. Blend cucumber, tomato, garlic, olive oil, jalapeño, balsamic, sugar, salt, and pepper. Fold in diced veggies and fresh herbs. Top with toasted breadcrumbs for crunch. Ready in under an hour with prep and chill times, serves four. Vegan, nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free. Bright, refreshing, and a tangy twist on a summer classic.
Prep:
25 min
Cook:
15 min
Total:
40 min
Servings:
4 servings
#vegan
#Mediterranean
#cold pasta
#summer recipe
#spicy
#gluten
Summer heat demands cold dishes. Pasta, but chilled. Not heavy. Not plain. Crunch and zest clash. Fusilli spirals soak up acidity. Jalapeño swaps sweetness for bite, balsamic replaces the sharper sherry vinegar. No nuts here, no dairy bloodlines. Garlic hums quietly behind the veil. Tomatoes, cucumber, freshness cut with olive oil silkiness. Chilled then tossed, textures mingle. Toasted panko delivers crunch, surprise in every forkful. Vegan plate, easy and quick, under an hour from start to finish. Set aside cold sauce while pasta cozies in fridge. Bite after bite, cold but warming flavor rolls.
Ingredients
Pasta
- 350 g fusilli
Cold Sauce
- 1 cucumber peeled, seeded, cut into 10 pieces
- 3 tomatoes quartered
- 1/2 jalapeño seeded, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 50 ml olive oil
- 15 ml balsamic vinegar
- 8 ml (1 1/2 tsp) sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish
- 1/2 red bell pepper diced 1/2 cm
- 1/2 cucumber seeded diced 1/2 cm
- 1 tomato diced 1/2 cm
- 40 ml fresh chopped mint
- 60 ml toasted panko breadcrumbs
About the ingredients
Fusilli chosen for shape—grooves catch every drop of cold sauce. Reduced quantity slightly, as dense pasta can overwhelm lighter veggies. Jalapeño traded in for original red pepper, adds mild heat and fresh green notes. Balsamic vinegar for deeper tang, less sharp than sherry, blends with sugar for subtle sweetness balance. Garlic content bumped to 3 cloves, for stronger background without overpowering. Diced veggies smaller, 1/2 cm dice, keeping contrast delicate, not chunky. Fresh mint swaps basil, a fresher green twist, lighter and a little herbaceous. Toasted panko breadcrumbs create texture layering, replacing original thicker breadcrumbs. Olive oil amount tapered to 50 ml, enough for silkiness but not greasy. Salt and pepper left flexible, personal preference rules.
Method
Cooking pasta
- 1. Boil salted water, add fusilli, cook until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain. Toss with splash of olive oil to prevent sticking. Cover, chill in fridge.
Preparing cold sauce
- 2. Into blender: cucumber pieces, tomatoes, jalapeño, garlic, olive oil, balsamic, sugar, salt, pepper. Puree until uniform. Adjust seasoning carefully.
Combining
- 3. Mix chilled pasta with cold sauce. Fold in diced red bell pepper, cucumber, tomato, and mint. Taste again, tweak salt or pepper.
- 4. Sprinkle toasted breadcrumbs on top for texture contrast.
- 5. Serve cold, can rest 10 more minutes in fridge before serving.
Cooking tips
Boil in salted water, pasta should be left al dente not mushy, timing crucial—roughly 10 minutes, a few less or more if needed. Toss immediately with olive oil to coat and prevent sticking, then cover and chill to cool thoroughly. Meanwhile, cold sauce blended by dumping all into blender; pulse until smooth but not overdone, desired silky but still a bit lively. Check seasoning before cold meets pasta, adjust salt/pepper step vital here to avoid dullness after chilling. Combine pasta and sauce gently to avoid breaking pasta. Dice garnish ingredients finely for textural contrast but easy eating. Fold in fresh chopped mint at last moment, delicate to preserve punch. Breadcrumbs toasted during pasta cooking, adding last minute crunch, sprinkle just before serving to stay crisp. Serve chilled—can rest up to 15 minutes before eating. Cold dishes crisp faster if less time passes after assembly. Keep refrigerated if not eating immediately. An easy, refreshing, slightly spicy cold pasta dish with bright herbal notes and crunchy topping.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Pasta timing crucial, roughly 10 mins boiling salted water. Al dente only, avoid mush; drain fast. Toss with olive oil immediately. Prevents sticking and drying out when chilling. Cover pasta tight to keep moisture, chill until fully cold before mixing. No hot pasta or sauce mix; melts freshness.
- 💡 Cold sauce—blend cucumber, tomatoes, jalapeño, garlic cold to preserve brightness. Pulse, not puree to fine silky but not water-thin. Adjust salt last after blending—flavors mute when cold so taste well. Sugar balances acidity but add cautiously or sauce dulls. Chili heat varies; seed or not seeds accordingly.
- 💡 Dice garnish veggies uniform small, ½ cm. Creates delicate contrast, doesn’t overpower soft fusilli curls and sauce silk. Fold in fresh chopped mint last, gentle toss only. Mint bruises quick, bitterness if handled roughly. Toast panko breadcrumbs dry, golden, no oil saturation. Sprinkle last to stay crisp; add crunch surprise in every bite.
- 💡 Use fusilli for grooves that grab sauce well, better than smooth pasta shapes. Quantity reduced slightly here to avoid heavy pasta bulk over veggies. Olive oil 50 ml enough to coat sauce but not greasy, keeps freshness intact. Balsamic vinegar chosen over sherry for milder tang, balances sweet and heat from jalapeño.
- 💡 Prepare sauce simultaneously with pasta cooking to save time. Chill pasta in fridge alone, sauce in blender container or bowl covered. Combine just when ready to serve, not long before; pasta absorbs sauce fast, softens. Breadcrumbs add last minute texture layer — toasted separately during pasta cook, not soaked in sauce.
Common questions
How long to cook fusilli for this dish?
About 10 minutes in boiling salted water, check early for bite. Overcooking makes mush, not good chilled. Drain fast, toss with oil right away so no clumps form. Chill pasta fully before mixing to keep sauce fresh.
Can I use other pasta shapes?
Yes but fusilli best for sauce hold. Spirals catch sauce inside grooves. Penne or rigatoni ok but less clingy. Avoid smooth thin pasta; sauce slips off, less flavour with each bite. Small shapes also chill quicker.
What if I want less heat from jalapeño?
Seed and remove membrane, lowers spice massively. Or reduce chili amount. Swap with milder green pepper if preferred, but flavor changes. Jalapeño adds sharp green kick, so cutting it softens dish tone. Taste sauce after blending for adjustments.
How to store leftovers?
Keep covered airtight in fridge. Best eaten within 24 hours cold. Pasta sauce mix softens over time. Breadcrumb crunch loses crispness fast, sprinkle fresh breadcrumbs before serving if possible. Not recommended to freeze, texture breaks down.
