Learn how to make Hearty Vegetable Stew Recipe – Hungarian Lecso as a vegetarian comfort food you have been craving. Your seasonal garden veggies are ready to be enjoyed in the best way possible.
Enjoy it for your low-carb breakfast, spread it on top of the best-ever keto farmers’ bread or make it as a side dish for a perfect dinner. This stew is loaded with nutritious veggies straight out of your garden.
One Pot Related Recipes
Fabulous one-pot meals are great for quick meal prep, serving, storing, and everything else related.
Apart from our one pot vegetable stew, we also have fabulous cheesy cabbage beef, instant pot goulash, palming baked fetta pasta, and taco casserole, which are not only perfect for quick meal prep but also for serving, storing, and everything else related. These flavorful dishes offer a hassle-free cooking experience, minimal cleanup and maximum satisfaction.
Hearty Vegetable Stew – Lecso
This easy vegetable stew or lecso is my favorite dish for a savory breakfast or dinner. Every time I make it, memories of my childhood come back. We often had it, primarily for breakfast in the summer when all the lovely tomatoes and peppers were growing in the garden.
And when I made it last time for my friends, they all asked for the recipe. That made me think of sharing it with you all as well.
What Is Lecso?
Lecso is a thick stew made with vegetables only. Peppers, tomatoes, and onions are the main vegetables in here and thicken with eggs afterward; this superb vegetable stew is something you can not stop eating.
Lecso is similar to Italian Peperonata, made out of sauteed vegetables.
It is originally from Hungary but is very popular in my country and Austria. My husband and daughters love it, so a large quantity is necessary if I make it.
In my country, lecso is such a popular and common dish that you will hardly find it in the restaurant because everyone knows and makes it at home.
Because eggs are involved, this is a meal mostly popular for breakfast. But you can serve it as a low-carb vegetable side dish during lunch or dinner or when you need a quick snack.
How Do You Eat Lecso Vegetable Stew?
Lecso can be served either hot or cold, on its own, with meat or even as a pasta sauce.
This vegetable stew is perfect as a side dish with your dinner, or you can top it up with your steak. Yum.
How To Make Vegetable Stew – Lecso?
Enjoy this simple vegetable stew called lecso for your morning breakfast or any time of the day serving it hot or cold. This veggie stew recipe is entirely gluten-free and paleo. If you do not add eggs, it is perfect for vegan enthusiasts.
Even though this low-carb vegetable stew recipe is easy and quick to make, I will still describe the whole process for those who want to try it for the first time.
Kitchen Tools you might need:
- Baking pan – Cast Iron
- Wooden Spatula
- Whisk
Ingredients needed:
- Oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- Green Pepper
- Tomatoes
- Eggs
- Salt & Pepper
Optional:
- Thyme
- Turmeric powder
*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS ON HOMEMADE VEGETABLE STEW
First Step: Prepare Ingredients
Prepare all of the ingredients. Make sure you cut all vegetables into thin slices for a better taste.
Second Step: Heat pan and oil
Place a large pot or Dutch oven onto a stovetop and heat up. Add oil.
Third Step: Onions and Garlic
Once the pan is fully heated, add onion slices and cook halfway. Add chopped garlic and cook both thoroughly until the onions and garlic brown.
Fourth Step: Peppers
Once you caramelize onions, add all green pepper slices and mix. Close the pan with the lid and lower the heat to medium heat, ensuring the vegetables do not burn at the bottom of the pot in the process. Simmer until peppers get soft, stirring occasionally. It might take a while since peppers always take the longest time to soften.
Fifth Step: Tomatoes
Once your peppers are soft, add thinly sliced tomatoes, mix them all into the veggies, cover the pot, and allow it to cook for about 5 minutes.
Cook thoroughly until all of the tomatoes are soft again.
Sixth Step: Spices
Once you cook all of the veggies, make sure you switch off the heat. Your eggs need to stay smooth in the cooking dish.
Let the heat be off for a few minutes. In the meantime, add turmeric powder, thyme and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Seventh Step: Eggs
Once you switched off your baking pan for a few minutes, take your eggs, and with the whisk, mix egg yolks and egg whites in the glass before pouring. Ensure you integrate the eggs into a smooth consistency until the stew has thickened.
Eighth Step: Mix
Slowly pour the whole mixture onto the vegetables and mix the eggs with your wooden spatula.
Do not switch the heat on anymore. The eggs will cook themselves inside the vegetables even without the heat.
Mix until the eggs thicken, which is the time you can serve.
If you switch the heat on in this process, the eggs will curd up because of the dish’s acidity.
RECIPE TIPS AND TRICKS
- Eggs – never add them when lecso is still boiling. Switch the heat off and wait a few minutes. And only then add the eggs and mix
- Herbs – you can add extra flavor to the stew using onions, rosemary, fresh parsley, and bay leaves if you need more
- Vegetables – you can use other vegetables such as celery, fresh or frozen peas, and green beans; add the mushrooms and cook with extra umami flavor.
- Too thick – if this veggie stew is too thick for you, add a bit of vegetable broth, red wine and even 2 tablespoons of tomato paste or soy sauce, depending on your liking and taste.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
What Do I Serve With Veg Stew?
As already mentioned, lecso goes perfectly with any meat dish. Serve it next to the sausage or cauliflower rice.
It is tasty with low-carb bread, keto steamed bread dumplings, or as a side to the main dish. Try it.
Can Vegetarian Stew Be Made Vegan?
It can become a vegan stew by omitting the eggs.
Even though lecso and eggs go together, some countries and families do not add eggs to this dish.
How To Store a Stew?
Once you make this perfect vegetable stew dish, you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
Preserving or canning lecso is very popular in Central Europe, especially in the summer, when the veggies are growing, and the families are canning for the whole winter.
If you make this vegetable for preserving, skip the eggs. You add them only once you open the jar and the lecso is heated.
You can freeze this super easy recipe without a problem. The best is to fill your mason Jars for serving portion control.
Once you decide to freeze this vegetable stew, I suggest freezing it before adding the eggs—the same way as preserving or canning it. Add eggs only once the lecso is ready to be eaten, which is heating up.
Some Vegetarian Soup Recipes
Something similar to todays recipe is this Shakshuka you for sure should give it a try.
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Hearty Vegetable Stew Recipe – Hungarian Lecso
Equipment
- 1 Whisk
Ingredients
- Oil
- 2 Big Onions
- 5 Cloves Garlic
- 3 Green Pepper
- 4 Tomatoes
- 4 Eggs
- Turmeric Powder
- Thyme
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Chili – optional
Video
Instructions
- Prepare all of the ingredients. Make sure you cut all vegetables into thin slices for a better taste.
- Place a large pot or Dutch oven onto a stovetop and heat up. Add oil.
- Once the pan is fully heated, add onion slices and cook halfway. Add chopped garlic and cook both thoroughly until the onions and garlic brown.
- Once you caramelize onions, add all green pepper slices and mix. Simmer until peppers get soft, stirring occasionally. It might take a while since peppers always take the longest time to soften.
- Once your peppers are soft, add thinly sliced tomatoes, mix them all into the veggies, cover the pot, and allow it to cook for about 5 minutes.
- Once you cook all of the veggies, make sure you switch off the heat. In the meantime, add turmeric powder, thyme and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Once you switched off your baking pan for a few minutes, take your eggs, and with the whisk, mix egg yolks and egg whites in the glass before pouring. Ensure you integrate the eggs into a smooth consistency until the stew has thickened.
- Slowly pour the whole mixture onto the vegetables and mix the eggs with your wooden spatula.Do not switch the heat on anymore. The eggs will cook themselves inside the vegetables even without the heat.
Notes
- Eggs – never add them when lecso is still boiling. Switch the heat off and wait a few minutes. And only then add the eggs and mix
- Herbs – you can add extra flavor to the stew using onions, rosemary, fresh parsley, and bay leaves if you need more
- Vegetables – you can use other vegetables such as celery, fresh or frozen peas, and green beans; add the mushrooms and cook with extra umami flavor.
- Too thick – if this veggie stew is too thick for you, add a bit of vegetable broth, red wine and even 2 tablespoons of tomato paste or soy sauce, depending on your liking and taste.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Please note that nutrient values are estimates only. Variations can occur due to product availability and manner of food preparation. Nutrition may vary based on methods of origin, preparation, freshness of ingredients, and other factors.
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Keto & Low Carb Bread Recipes
Enjoy our Keto and Low Carb bread recipes! They’re gluten-free, grain-free, and perfect for diabetics, too.
I see that chili is an ingredient. Is it chili powder, or a pepper that you are refering to? If a pepper, what kind of chili pepper?
I looks and sounds so yummy! I cannot wait to try the recipe! Thank you so much for sharing!!?
Dear Tammy,
You can use chilli powder. Depending on how spicy you want it. I omit anything spicy because of kids, but for me I do love it a bit spicy.
This sounds really good! I would definitely make it spicy!
Dear Brittany,
Of course, make it spicy. It tastes even better. I love it spicy myself.
Zuzana
I’ve never had Lecso! This sounds and looks great 🙂
Thanks Jenna,
It also tastes really good. You should try it. i always do it, when I see that our house has got more tomatoes and peppers, we can consume in a short period.
Zuzana
Looks great! I love your serving dishes too! So cute!
Dear Casey,
I love those bowls too, bought them in Doha, but lucky found some on the amazon as well. If you are interested, I have placed a link just below the recipe.
Have a nice day
Zuzana
Oh my this looks delicious. Never had this kind of breakfast before, but I will definitely try this. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Dear Anna,
You will not regret it, I promise.
Have a nice day
Zuzana
Wow! This looks so yummy, never tried this before!
Dear Susie,
It really is. Our whole family loves it and can have it every day.
Zuzana
I hate green peppers! Have you ever substituted them for a different veggie?
sure, but peppers and tomatoes are a base of any lecso. You can use whatever veggies you like, but it would not be really identical to a Lecso.
How much thyme and how much turmeric?
Depends on your liking. I just sprinkle a bit or each to not overpower the taste.
This is so far from an authentic Hungarian lecso you may as well name something else. I was born , grew up and learned to cook in Hungary and though this has the basics it’s completely different.
This is a recipe we have been making since I was a kid and everyone always called it Hungarian. I also know that there are different type of lecso depending on the region. So sorry you feel it does not fit.