Lecho {Peppers and Tomato Stew}

5 from 11 votes

Lecho {Peppers and Tomato Stew}

Lecho is a flavorful Hungarian bell pepper and tomato stew that’s either vegetarian or made with smoked sausage. This no-fuss delicious meal is an easy weeknight dinner or lunch that’s low carb and perfect for keto or paleo diets. Best part? You only need one pot and 30 minutes to make this hearty but healthy dish.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: dinner, lunch

Cuisine: Eastern European, Hungarian, Polish

Servings: servings

Calories: 292kcal

Author: Agnieszka

Ingredients

3 red bell peppers diced into 1-inch pieces
1 orange or yellow bell pepper diced into 1-inch pieces
1 medium zucchini sliced into half circles
2 small to medium yellow onions roughly chopped
3 large tomatoes peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves crushed or minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 oz kielbasa smoked sausage or anadouille sausage (optional), sliced into half circles or diced
Chopped parsley leaves for garnish

Instructions

Heat up olive oil in a Dutch oven or a large pot with thick bottom. Add onions and kielbasa (if using) and cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Add diced bell peppers and zucchini, stir, cover the Dutch oven partially and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally on medium low.
Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, crushed garlic, and all the spices. Stir, cover the Dutch oven partially and cook 10-15 minutes more, until peppers are fork tender and tomatoes are mostly fallen apart.
Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley leaves (if desired) with crusty bread, brown rice or on its own.

Notes

Zucchini can be swapped for yellow squash or omitted.

Any kind of sweet peppers can be used: different colors bell peppers, Hungarian wax peppers, banana peppers, Cubanello peppers or a mix of sweet and hot peppers. You can also add a teaspoon or so of hot paprika or cayenne pepper for a spicy version of lecho.

Use any smoked sausage you like. I highly recommend good quality Polish pork kielbasa.

For a vegetarian version, skip the sausage.

Nutrition