Traditional Spanish Dishes
The Best Spanish-Style Pisto Recipe
A homemade Spanish pisto, colorful and comforting, with tender vegetables cooked slowly in a thick tomato sauce and served with egg.
This recipe brings together onion, bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant, and tomato in a traditional stew of deep flavor. It can be enjoyed freshly made, warm, or prepared in advance.
01
Ingredients
Have everything ready before you begin.
- ✓4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- ✓1 large onion, approximately 200 g
- ✓2 cloves of garlic
- ✓1 red bell pepper
- ✓1 green bell pepper
- ✓1 medium zucchini
- ✓1 medium eggplant
- ✓800 g of crushed tomato
- ✓1 teaspoon of sugar
- ✓1 teaspoon of salt
- ✓1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
- ✓4 eggs to serve
02
Step-by-step method
- 01
Prepare the vegetables
Wash and dry the vegetables. Cut the onion into small cubes, finely chop the garlic, remove the seeds and white parts from the bell peppers and cut them into dice. Cut the zucchini and eggplant, without peeling them, into cubes of approximately 1.5 cm.
- 02
Treat the eggplant
Optionally, place the eggplant in a colander, sprinkle it lightly with part of the salt and let it rest for 15 minutes. Dry it with paper towels before cooking.
- 03
Poach the onion
Heat a large, thick-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons of oil and, when hot without smoking, add the onion. Cook for 5 or 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it is transparent and starts to brown.
- 04
Sauté garlic and bell peppers
Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds without letting it burn. Add the bell peppers and a small part of the salt; cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until they start to soften. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil if the pot seems dry.
- 05
Cook the eggplant
Add the eggplant, stir to cover it with the sauté and cook for 5 minutes. If it sticks, add a tablespoon of water and continue stirring.
- 06
Add the zucchini
Add the zucchini and cook for another 5 minutes, until the vegetables start to be tender but retain their shape.
- 07
Add the tomato
Pour in the crushed tomato and mix. Add the sugar, the remaining salt, and the black pepper.
- 08
Cook slowly
When the tomato starts to boil, reduce the heat to a minimum and cover the pot, leaving a small opening. Cook the pisto for 35 to 45 minutes, stirring every 8 or 10 minutes to prevent it from sticking.
- 09
Check the texture
Continue until the sauce has reduced and the vegetables are tender, with some oil visible around the edges. If there is too much liquid, cook for a few minutes without a lid; if it thickens too much, add a little hot water.
- 10
Let the stew rest
Taste and adjust the salt if necessary. Turn off the heat and let the pisto rest for 5 minutes.
- 11
Cook the eggs
Heat a non-stick skillet with a few drops of oil and cook the 4 eggs, fried or grilled, until the whites are set and the yolks retain a creamy texture if desired.
- 12
Serve
Divide the hot pisto among 4 plates and place an egg on each portion. Serve immediately, accompanied by bread.
- 13
Store the pisto
Store the pisto without the eggs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheat it over low heat. To freeze, let it cool completely and store it without the eggs as well.
- Cook the vegetables over medium heat and let the tomato reduce slowly to achieve a thick texture.
- If the eggplant is bitter, you can salt it and let it rest for 15 minutes before drying it.
- Adjust the salt at the end, as the flavor concentrates while the stew reduces.
- Pisto can also be served cold or warm and often gains flavor the next day.
- For a variation, substitute part of the zucchini with more bell pepper, add homemade tomato or serve it over rice.