Pisto (Spanish Vegetable Stew)

Pisto is that famous tapa that you will find in every single Spanish restaurant! Perfectly cooked vegetable stew in a flavorful tomato sauce with plenty of good old olive oil.

This Mediterranean vegetable stew is a mix of summer veggies like zucchini, bell peppers, eggplant and tomatoes all simmered down to a creamy consistency.

Imagine Pisto coming to your table in their tapas sized cazuealas, usually topped with a fried egg and served with some fresh, warm bread. Time to meet Spanish Ratatouille!!

Yes, Pisto and Ratatouille are almost similar in their looks and flavors, yet some purist will pinpoint some little differences. Both are vegetable stews out of the Mediterranean and are jam packed with hearty flavors.

A few weeks back we tried our hand at Ratatouille and simply marveled at the results a few vegetables can create if cooked right.

We are traveling in Spain for five weeks and started our blogging adventure in Madrid, then Sevilla, Mijas and are currently in Granada. I am very excited to present our Spain travel and food guides very soon here on GypsyPlate. There is so much to see and eat everywhere you go from big cities to smaller Medieval towns scattered all over.

Now after a few weeks in Spain, we have already ordered Pisto a few times, especially when we get tired of meaty dishes. Pisto topped with eggs is very sumptuous and hearty, and would even please any meat lover with its deep and rich flavors, thanks to an abundance of good quality olive oil.

We love to cook local specialties on our trips. Whenever we try some cracking local delicacy, it inspires us to cook our version of the same in our Airbnb kitchens. Our New Orleans BBQ Shrimp from NoLa, and Toad in the Hole from Wales have a lot of memories of cooking them in distant lands. We decided to cook Pisto this time, as we figured it’s Spain’s most beloved vegetable dish.

Why We Loved Spanish Vegetable Stew

1. Rich flavors: Pisto is cooked slowly, allowing the flavors of the different veggies to blend together beautifully.
2. Versatility: It can be served in many different ways. It can be a side dish, a main dish with a fried egg on top, or an accompaniment to meats or fish. It can also be served as a tapa (small dish) along with other dishes.
3. It’s Healthy: Pisto is packed with vegetables and healthy olive oil. Nothing bad here.
4. Variety: There are many variations of pisto, and part of the fun is trying different versions, or even coming up with your own.
5. It’ easy to make: Pisto doesn’t require any special cooking skills, and it’s a great way to use up leftover vegetables.

What is Pisto?

Pisto, also known as “pisto manchego”, is a Spanish dish that originated in the region of Castilla-La Mancha. It is traditionally a summer dish, as it utilizes an abundance of seasonal vegetables.

The name “pisto” means “pounded” in Spanish, which refers to the original method of preparation where vegetables were ground or pounded in a mortar. The dish can trace its roots back to the Moorish occupation of Spain, where similar vegetable stews were common.

There are many variations throughout Spain, and each region or even each cook might have their own version of the dish. For instance, in some areas, they add squash or pumpkin, while others include potatoes.

What is Difference Between Pisto and Ratatouille?

While both dishes are similar, there are a few key differences:

1. Cutting the Veggies: Ratatouille tends to have chunkier cut veggies, and Pisto uses relatively smaller vegetable pieces.
2. Preparation: In Ratatouille, each vegetable is often sautéed separately before cooking with tomato sauce. Pisto, on the other hand, involves the vegetables all being cooked together, creating a more uniform mixture
3. Serving: Pisto is commonly served with bread and sometimes topped with a fried egg, and it can be served as a tapa, side dish, or a main dish. Ratatouille, while it can also be a main or side dish, is often served as an accompaniment to dishes like fish or meat.

Pisto Ingredients

• Olive Oil – We use premium extra virgin olive oil for our Pisto. A good quality olive oil is very essential to develop a great end result. Feel free to use good quality regular olive oil instead of extra virgin, if you prefer a lighter flavor.
• Vegetables – Onion, bell peppers (we used local green and red long cylindrical bell sweet peppers), zucchini, eggplant.
• Tomatoes – Today we are using tomato passata, commonly found in Spain. You can use crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce, or even blanch fresh tomatoes quickly and puree or grate them.
• Aromatics and herbs – Garlic, thyme, oregano, rosemary (just a light hint of herbs).
• Salt and pepper – To taste.
• Sugar – Optional. Only a little only in case your tomatoes are acidic or have a lot of tang.

Pisto Manchego Recipe

Cook the vegetables: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced onion to the pot and sauté until it becomes translucent. Add the green and red bell peppers and garlic to the pot and continue to sauté for another 5 minutes. Add zucchini and eggplant to the pot. Stir well and continue to cook for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables start to soften.

Add tomato Stir in the tomato passata or crushed tomatoes along with herbs, salt, red chili flakes.

Simmer: Lower the heat and let the mixture simmer for about 35-45 minutes, or until all the vegetables are soft and the flavors have melded together. Stir occasionally to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the pot. Taste and season for salt or sugar.

Serve: Serve Pisto warm. It can be served as a main dish, side dish, or tapa. You can add a fried egg on top of each serving if desired.

Tips and Tricks

1. Use the freshest ingredients: Pisto is all about the flavors of the vegetables, so always go with fresh, good quality veggies.
2. Take your time: Don’t rush the cooking process. Life is very laid back in Spain, so grab a glass of wine and give the stew time to cook.
3. Size matters: When chopping your vegetables, try to make them all roughly the same size so they cook evenly.
4. Season well: Don’t be afraid to season your pisto. While the vegetables are the star of the show, salt is necessary to bring out their flavors.

Variations

1. Try different vegetables: You can add other vegetables based on what’s in season or what you have on hand. Experiment, and see which combinations you love most.
2. Pisto with cheese: Some variations of pisto include a bit of cheese. Manchego, a cheese from the same region as pisto, is a popular choice. You could melt a bit of cheese on top of the pisto, or sprinkle some grated cheese over each serving.

Serving Suggestions

Pisto is a versatile dish that can be served in various ways. Here are some suggestions:

1. As a tapa: In Spain, pisto is often served as a tapa, or small dish, accompanied by slices of crusty bread. This is a great way to serve pisto at a party or gathering.
2. As a side dish: You can serve it as a side dish alongside meats or seafood. It’ pairs’s especially yum with grilled or roasted fish.
3. As a main dish: For a light meatless meal, served with hearty bread. Our easy No Knead Bread goes great with pisto.

Leftovers and Storage

Before storing, allow your pisto to cool down to room temperature. Transfer leftovers to an air tight container, then refrigerate for 3 or 4 days.

It can also be frozen for a couple of months. Just thaw overnight in the fridge.

When you’re ready to eat your leftover pisto, reheat it in a pan on the stovetop over medium heat, adding a splash of water if it has thickened up.

If you liked our French Ratatouille, it’s time to try our Pisto. We’re absolutely digging into it along with some runny eggs mixing with the delicious veggies, and mopping all the olive oil based sauce with some warm bread.

Pisto is huge in Spain, and there is a good reason for it. It’s absolutely finger licking delicious!!!

Try these other great meatless dinner ideas!
Mediterranean White Beans
Pasta alla Norma
Homemade Falafel
Palak Paneer
Mushroom Stroganoff
Ribollita Soup
Black Bean Chili
Eggplant Parmesan

Pisto (Spanish Vegetable Stew)

Yield: 6-8 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

This Spanish Pisto Recipe is a wonderfully flavorful vegetable stew that goes great as a tapa, side dish, or meatless main.

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Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced (see note 1)
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, cubanelle, Italian sweet pepper, diced
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 eggplant, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped or sliced
• 15.5oz tomato passata or crushed tomatoes
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp dried fresh rosemary
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ¼ tsp-½ tsp red chili flakes
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• sugar, optional to taste (see note 2)

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced onion to the pot and sauté until it becomes translucent. Add the green and red bell peppers and garlic to the pot and continue to sauté for another 5 minutes.
2. Add zucchini and eggplant to the pot. Stir well and continue to cook for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables start to soften.
3. Stir in the tomato passate or crushed tomatoes along with herbs, salt, pepper, and red chili flakes.
4. Lower the heat and let the mixture simmer, covered, for about 35-45 minutes, or until all the vegetables are soft and the flavors have melded together. Stir occasionally to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the pot. Taste and season for salt or sugar.
5. Serve pisto warm. It can be served as a main dish, side dish, or tapa. You can add a fried egg on top of each serving.

Notes

1. Cut all the vegetables into small cubes of similar size.
2. You can use sugar to reduce the acidity or tang of tomatoes. Skip it of you have sweet tomatoes or tomato passata.

Nutrition Information

Yield 8 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 126Total Fat 7gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 0mgSodium 107mgCarbohydrates 16gFiber 4gSugar 7gProtein 2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.