Hungarian lecso or lecsó is a tomato and pepper stew with salami & bacon that works just as well as a main course as it does as a side dish.
This dish, which is occasionally called Hungarian ratatouille, is nice and easy to cook and comes together in around 45 minutes.
Hungarian Tomato and Pepper Stew
The first thing that people think of when they think of Hungarian food is Goulash, it is ok, it is normal, but Hungarian cuisine is so much more!
Even then, what many people create as goulash is closer to the Hungarian Marha Porkolt.
Sure, dishes like chicken paprikash are well-known around the world, but dishes like borsos tokany, rakott kaposzta, székelykáposzta and langos are glorious, and I think deserve to be far better known.
Lecsó is the quiet hero of the Hungarian kitchen! It is pure magic, and it is often referred to as Hungarian ratatouille, although I think it is more reminiscent of Basque piperade.
It is often served as a main, but I love it as a side dish, because it provides a perfect sauce and a sweet/sour base for salty roasted meats.
I spent 13 years living in and travelling around rural Hungary and never came across two lecsó recipes that were the same.
Some contain kolbász, a cured Hungarian sausage, some contain bacon, some contain both, and some contain neither. That doesn't mean that it then becomes vegetarian because it is so often cooked in lard!
But all of them are delicious, and I love the stuff!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a different colour pepper?
In Hungary, this dish would be made almost exclusively with something "we" know as a TV paprika or feher (white) pepper. It is very mild in taste and sweet, but not as sweet as bell peppers.
I have opted to go with yellow peppers in my international version. They are not as sweet as the red, but they add a sweetness that green peppers lack.
What sort of salami should I use?
This dish would be made using kolbász in Hungary; it is a fairly generic term for a cured sausage in much the same way salami is used.
Gyulai is probably the most famous type of kolbász, although I personally preferred to use Csabai, which is a little spicier. You could even get lecsókolbász specifically made for making this dish.
I very much advocate using whatever you can find locally; both salami and chorizo are readily available in most supermarkets. Experiment with that and find something you like.
What sort of bacon should I use?
So much of Hungarian cooking is defined by fat, and this dish is no different.
Large chunks of smoked bacon that are mainly fat would be traditionally used to start a lecsó, to mirror that you should get some really fatty bacon lardons if you can.
If the bacon does not have enough fat, throw in a little lard or duck fat.
Can I use smoked paprika?
It is your dinner, you can use whatever you like, but smoked paprika is not traditionally used in Hungarian cooking.
Can I make this in advance?
Yes, absolutely, this will be fine in the fridge for 2-3 days, and it will get better with time!
Serving Suggestions
So often, lecsó is served as a main course with loads of different types of pickles and big hunks of bread.
It is also awesome with some Hungarian nokedli, which are probably more famously known as spätzle.
It always got my funny looks, but I love to eat this with garlic bread!
But for me, lecsó sings as a side dish, I use it on the side of loads of different dishes. I love combining it with Hungarian dishes like rakott krumpli or Brassói aprópecsenye.
It's not just Hungarian dishes that it works well with, either. The peppers that I cook with my slow cooker lamb shanks are definitely influenced by the ideas behind lecsó.
It's a wonderfully versatile dish, and it works well with any "dry" roasted or fried dish.
As an example of its versatility, it is pictured above with my very "British" roast pork belly slices and below with some Polish kotlet schabowy.
Equipment Used
I only mention brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Hob/Stovetop.
- 20cm or 8" saucepan.
- Stirring and serving spoons.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
- Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.
Hungarian Lecsó Recipe
Ingredients
- 100 g Smoked Bacon Lardons 3½oz
- 75 g Salami 2½oz
- 4 Medium-Large Tomatoes 450g total
- 1 Medium Onion 150g
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- 2 Small Yellow Peppers 250g Total
- 2 tablespoon Sweet Hungarian Paprika
- Salt if Required
Instructions
- Heat a 20cm or 8" saucepan over a medium heat, add the bacon lardons and cook gently for 5 minutes to start the fat rendering.
- Bring a pan of water to the boil whilst you prep the remaining ingredients, then cut a cross 1-1.5cm (½") into the skin of the base of the tomato and plunge them into the boiling water for 30 seconds. Transfer the tomatoes to a bowl of cold water, and when they are cool enough to handle, peel off the skin.
- Slice the salami into 3-5mm (⅛-¼") thick coins, and when the bacon has had 5 minutes, add the salami to the pan and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
- Cut the onion into a 1-1½cm (½") dice.
- De-seed the yellow pepper and cut it into 5mm (¼") strips.
- Peel the garlic cloves and slice them as finely as you can.
- Cut the peeled tomatoes into 8 wedges each.
- Add the onion to the pan and cook it for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Toss in the garlic and cook until it becomes fragrant, which will take 30-60 seconds.
- Throw in the yellow pepper, tomato wedges and paprika, then give everything a stir, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 25 minutes or until you have a thick, rich stew. Have a taste after the stew has been cooking for 5 minutes, and add salt if required.
Anna
Saturday 16th of August 2025
Loved this ever since visiting my friend in Debrecen 20 years ago - her mum was a great cook I've made several versions since and still love it. However, I grow a lot of tomatoes and peppers now and wonder about making it in bulk to freeze... Any thoughts?
Anna
Sunday 17th of August 2025
Mmm, thanks for the very useful advice Brian, I'll try a bit of each as I've got a real glut of produce so see how they go!
Best wishes, Anna
Brian Jones
Sunday 17th of August 2025
Hi Anna...
We loved Debrecen, we used to live the other side of the Hortobagy national park, which made Debrecen our nearest "city" and a regular playground.
We used to grow a load of tomatoes and peppers when we lived in Hungary, and played around with freezing Lecso as part of our experiments, it works kinda ok, but it requires a bit more cooking when it is defrosted/reheated (it becomes quite watery) and the paprika flavours become very much muted, so a generous dash during reheating is needed.
In the end we just started freezing tomatoes whole and freezing sliced peppers. Neither were perfect but they were much more appropriate as a storage solution for how we cooked.
Enjoy
Brian
Stefi
Saturday 26th of November 2022
I grew up in Hungarian household in London, England and we ate this as a main meal with hunks of rye bread, never as a side dish. But I realky like the idea of it as a side so am going to bear that in mind, especially with pork belly!
Brian Jones
Wednesday 30th of November 2022
Yes, it is commonly eaten as a main in households, I spent 13 years living in Rurual (Eastern Hungary) where it definitely had a presence served as a side on many dishes.
Something that is being picked up now by the slowly flourishing "fancier" end of the food scene.
I love this stuff it is glorious, especially if you are gonne by doing some crispy csülök :D