Lecsó (Hungarian Tomato Pepper Stew)
Bright, colorful and packed with flavor, Lecsó is a quick 20-minute Hungarian tomato pepper stew that is great to serve as a side, or even as a main.
Also know as the Hungarian Ratatouille, this dish needs just a few simple ingredients to make, and is perfect to make during summer, when fresh produce is in season. Got some more peppers? Use them to make Air Fryer dehydrated peppers, which you can store and use for months.
Summer is my favorite time of the year, especially since we find so many fresh tomatoes at the farmer's market we often visit. I always bulk buy them and use them to batch-make my homemade tomato passata and my favorite spicy tomato jam over the weekend.
In fact, I also make a big batch of my oven dried tomatoes, which last for months and turn out to be SO useful for my everyday cooking. This time, I found some peppers too, which I wanted to use up, and this delicious pepper stew seemed like a great idea!
Quick Look
- 🔪Prep time: 5 minutes.
- ⏲️Cook time: 15 minutes.
- 👪 Servings: 4.
- 📋Main ingredients: Banana peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic, seasonings and oil.
- ♨️Cooking method: Slice peppers, onions and tomatoes 🡢 sauté in a pan 🡢 add seasonings and cook 🡢 cool and serve.
- ⭐Difficulty: Easy.
- 🥣Serving ideas: Enjoy Lecsó for breakfast by teaming it up with some simple fried eggs and a sprinkle of homemade herb salt.
Jump to:
What's So Great About the Recipe?
- It comes together quickly using a simple mix of ingredients.
- It's super versatile- just like my sweet pepper relish. Use it as a condiment or a side- it tastes great either way!
Recipe Ingredients
Banana peppers: The hero ingredient! I used a mix of different colored banana peppers. You can stick to using just one if that's what you can find.
Red onion: For that sweet, slightly pungent flavor.
Garlic: Fresh garlic, for that savory depth. You can also use air fried roasted garlic for a smoky flavor if you want to.
Tomatoes: The best ripe, juicy tomatoes you can find.
Seasonings: Just a bit of salt, pepper and paprika. Use smoked paprika for a deeper flavor.
Oil: Any regular cooking oil will work. I like using olive oil or my habanero infused oil for a spicy kick.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Fancy a kick of heat? Add sliced red peppers into the mix. I tried this once when I had some leftover after making my Turkish red pepper paste, and I loved how it turned out!
- For a smoky flavor, you can also use halved fire roasted tomatoes instead of regular tomatoes.
How to Make Lecsó
Step 1: Thinly slice the banana peppers using a sharp knife.
Step 2: Heat oil in a pan and sauté the sliced peppers, onions and tomatoes.
Step 3: Season with salt, pepper and paprika. Stir and cook over medium-low heat.
Step 4: Once the veggies look softened, take the pan off heat and let it cool. Serve or store for later.
💭Top Tip
Stick to using large, juicy tomatoes here. Cherry tomatoes aren't great as they have more skin than flesh.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Use a good quality, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or pan to cook this. A thicker base will ensure the heat is evenly distributed and nothing ends up burning.
- For additional flavor, use a seasoned salt like garlic parsley salt or jalapeno salt instead of regular salt.
- Chop the tomatoes into large cubes, and slice the peppers into roughly the same size to ensure even cooking.
- To make the dish more hearty, you can add sliced sausages into the mix.
- Keep stirring the pan occasionally and add a splash of water or low sodium vegetable broth to get the mixture saucy again.
- This is one of those dishes that tastes even better the next day. If you can, make it ahead of time.
How to Serve Lecsó
The easiest way to enjoy Lecsó is to team it up with some crusty bread and serve it as a side. If you want to have it as a main, I would recommend adding sausages into it to make it more hearty.
Another great way to pair it with scrambled eggs and have it as a breakfast. I personally love serving it with my keto everything bagels too!
Troubleshooting and FAQs
Store the leftover Lecsó in a clean glass container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, and use whenever you want to.
To reheat Lecsó, simply microwave it on high until warmed up, or in a pan over low heat with a splash of water to get it to the right consistency.
More Condiments to Try
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this Lecsó recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Lecsó (Hungarian Tomato Pepper Stew)
Ingredients
- 200 g banana peppers
- 100 g tomatoes
- 3-4 garlic
- 2 onions
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon oil
Instructions
- Thinly slice the banana peppers using a sharp knife.
- Heat oil in a pan and sauté the sliced peppers, onions and tomatoes.
- Season with salt, pepper and paprika. Stir and cook over medium-low heat.
- Once the veggies look softened, take the pan off heat and let it cool. Serve or store for later.
Notes
- Use a good quality, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or pan to cook this. A thicker base will ensure the heat is evenly distributed and nothing ends up burning.
- Stick to using large, juicy tomatoes here. Cherry tomatoes aren't great as they have more skin than flesh.
- Chop the tomatoes into large cubes, and slice the peppers into roughly the same size to ensure even cooking.
- To make the dish more hearty, you can add sliced sausages into the mix.
