Learn how to make an authentic Hungarian lecso recipe, a comforting summer stew of peppers, tomatoes, onions, and paprika.
I grew up eating lecso in Transylvania, where it’s a summer staple on every table. This traditional recipe is perfect with rice, bread, Basic Polenta, or as a side dish for meat or fish.
Ingredients: 8 | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 50 minutes | Servings: 4 | Difficulty: Easy
Lecso isn’t unique to Hungary - similar dishes appear all over the world. The French have piperade, the Middle East has shakshuka, Turkey has menemen, Spain has pisto, and Italy has peperonata. Neighbors have their own versions too: Leco in Czechia and Slovakia, Leczo in Poland, Letscho in Germany, and a similar-sounding version in Russia.
Check out the Eggs and Cabbage Recipe, too, another egg and vegetable recipe.
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Recipe Ingredients
Red pointed sweet peppers: Long, pointed sweet peppers that are the star of lecso. In the U.S., you might find them labeled as “red frying peppers” or “red pointed peppers.” Yellow Hungarian wax peppers also work. I also use Hungarian wax peppers to make Feta Stuffed Peppers.
Tomatoes: Fresh and ripe in summer if possible; canned tomatoes work well any time of year.
Red chili and onions: I use long, mild Romanian chili. If using another type, start with less and adjust to taste.
Eggs in lecso: Stir in at the end for a richer stew.
See the recipe card for detailed instructions and full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Hungarian Lecso?
Step #1: Sauté the sliced onions until translucent.
Step #2: Add 3 tablespoons of water, cover, and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step #3: Add the sliced peppers and 2–3 tablespoons of water, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in paprika.
Step #4: Add tomatoes and cook until the vegetables are soft, 20-25 minutes. Season to taste.
Step #5: Whisk eggs with salt and pepper, pour into the pot.
Step #6: Stir gently until the eggs are scrambled; it will happen fast.
Variations of Lecso
Plain: Skip the eggs and serve with Buttered Rice or crusty Flaxseed Bread.
With potatoes or rice: Add diced potatoes with a little stock and simmer until tender. Add cooked rice and reheat it.
With meat: If you want to add meat, start by searing cubed pork or chicken together with the onions, just like you would when making a goulash or other meat stew. Once the meat is browned, add the peppers and tomatoes and cook until the meat is tender.
With sausages: You can add already-cooked deli meats or sausages. Cut them into cubes and add them toward the end of the cooking process, just long enough to heat through.
Storage & Freezing
Refrigerate: Keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop.
Freeze only the eggless version in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Don't freeze if you’ve added potatoes, as they don’t reheat well.
How to serve?
Serve the lecso with egg version immediately with crusty bread, plain rice, or rice, polenta, or mashed potatoes – try the Rosemary and Garlic Mashed Potatoes, for instance.
You can serve the eggless version immediately or reheated as a side dish for any kind of meat or fish, with fried eggs, or Pork Meatballs, for instance.
Hungarian Lecso Recipe – Classic Pepper Stew
Equipment
- Large pan
Ingredients
- 2 medium onions
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 lb red pointed sweet peppers Note 1
- 1 red chili Note 2
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder
- ½ teaspoon hot paprika powder
- 1 lb tomatoes ripe, or 1 can of tomatoes (1 lb/ 450 g), Note 3
- 3 large eggs Note 4
- 1 small bunch of parsley
- fine sea salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the onions: Quarter them and thinly slice the quarters. Heat the oil and cook the onion until slightly golden, 2-3 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons of water to a pot, cover, and cook the sliced onions over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft.2 medium onions + 2 tablespoons oil
- Prepare and cook the peppers: While the onions cook, deseed and thinly slice the peppers. Finely chop the chili. Add them to the pot with 2–3 more tablespoons of water, cover, and cook on low heat for another 10 minutes.1 lb red pointed sweet peppers + 1 red chili
- Add paprika: Sprinkle in the sweet and hot paprika powders and stir well to coat the vegetables evenly.1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder + ½ teaspoon hot paprika powder
- Add tomatoes: Chop fresh tomatoes or use canned tomatoes with their juices. Add them to the pot, along with 2–3 tablespoons of water if needed (more if fresh tomatoes aren’t very juicy). Cook for 15- 20 minutes, until the peppers are soft. Season with salt and pepper to taste.1 lb tomatoes
- Add eggs: If you want eggs in your lecso, whisk them with salt and pepper in a small bowl, pour them into the pot, and stir gently. Cook, stirring gently with a spatula or a wooden spoon, until the eggs are just set.3 large eggs + fine sea salt and ground black pepper
- Finish and serve: Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with rice, polenta, or bread. The eggless version also works well as a side for meat, fish, or sausages.1 small bunch of parsley
Notes
- Peppers: Long, pointed sweet peppers that are the star of lecso; you might find them labeled as “red frying peppers” or “red pointed peppers.” Yellow Hungarian wax peppers are ok, too.
- Red chili: Use ½ to 1 chili (or more, depending on your heat preference) - seeds can be left in or removed.
- Tomatoes: Choose ripe and flavorful fresh ones if possible; if not, canned tomatoes work well. You can also add 1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste along with the paprika to boost the flavor.
- Eggs: They are optional, but great! If you want to serve Hungarian lecso as a side dish for meat or fish, leave them out.
Judith Czegledi says
Excellent
Adina says
Thank you, Judith.
Raf Slotwinski says
You mis-spelt the Polish version it is Leczo (pron. Lecho) and not Lezco!!!
A very popular summer dish in Poland, often made with addition of courgettes (particularly if vegeterian) and smoked or cured sausage. Simple to and quick to make: a good meal to teach your children to cook before they go to uni 🙂
Adina says
A great dish and I am sure it's even better with sausages.
Jen says
Adina...te nem vagy Magyar! Lecso can only be made during the summer as the Hungarian wax peppers are only available then....we do NOT use bell peppers or any other peppers in traditional Hungarian lecso and we use only fresh tomatoes and onions. Please do not refer to your recipe as Hungarian lecso when it is not!
grace says
hearty, delicious, and so vibrant! this dish has it all, adina. 🙂
Sissi says
Your lecso looks beautiful! I had no idea it was made in so many countries! I actually prepare lecso quite often, but my favourite are the light yellow long peppers. They have such an amazing aroma... if I don't put them into the fridge quickly the whole kitchen smells like peppers. Like you, I always add some fresh chilli peppers too of course!
Adina says
I like it with yellow peppers as well, or better said a combination of red and yellow. I have them all the time in the fridge, either red or yellow, they are my favorite kind of peppers, I have them raw or cooked every day.
Evi @ greenevi says
Oh, lecso is so good! I used to eat this all summer long in Hungary when I was small 🙂 It's such a simple dish, but tastes always so amazing! Wonderful recipe, Adina!
Adina says
I refused to eat it as a child because I hated cooked peppers! How that changed! 🙂
François says
Lesco is sooooooo delicious!!! that's the real taste of Hungary : )
Adina says
You're right, Francois! 🙂
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
I love the bright red colour and wonderful flavour! A simple yet very delicious meal.
Adina says
Thank you, Angie.
Inge Kohl says
I grew up eating something like this, but it never had eggs in it. My parents lived in Yogoslavia before moving to Germany in 1957. We called it Satarasch. I googled it and found some recipes similar to yours. A lot of them did add meat to it as well, but when you look for vegtarian Satarasch you can find some similar to yours. One of the seasonings they used and I always have on hand is Vegeta. I remember my mother used to have friends bring it from Hungaria when they would travel there. Luckily I have been able to find it here in California.
Adina says
Hi Inge,
Yes Vegeta, my grandmother used it a lot as well. 🙂 I have never seen it here, but then I have never really searched, I should have a look in the Russian store, I can imagine finding it there. Lecso is very common all over Eastern Europe and there are probably a million versions of it. I tried some of these versions and I liked them all.
Marvellina|What To Cook Today says
I wonder if we can find Romanian peppers here, probably not here in Minnesota. This dish looks amazing ! Love the vibrant red color
Adina says
Maybe if you find a Turkish or Middle Eastern shop, they sell this kind of pointed red and yellow peppers as well.
Denise Browning says
How delicious, Adina! I need some vegetarian recipes like this as sometimes I don't eat meat one and a while.
Adina says
Thank you, Denise, I hope you will get a chance to make it.
Kate @ Framed Cooks says
This is such a bright and colorful dish! And I can totally see making it into a full meal by adding sausage or chicken, and I LOVE the idea of cooking eggs in it! Perfect for fall! 🙂
Adina says
I love it with sausage as well, it really adds something, I've even made it with chorizo once, a really hot kind, it was great! 🙂