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Lebbencsleves
Potato and pasta sheet soup
Lebbencsleves: Hungarian shepherds' soup of paprika potatoes and toasted broken pasta sheets
Shepherds on the Hungarian Great Plain carried dry sheets of pasta in their packs, broke them into a cauldron over the fire with potatoes and paprika, and called it lebbencsleves. In villages and family kitchens it is still the soup for a cold weekday. Usually the onion is fried in smoked bacon; this meat-free version fries the onion and paprika in oil, so it is vegan, and toasts the pasta in the same pot first for a nutty depth. The broth turns brick red and is thickened a little by the potatoes, with chewy shards of pasta in every spoonful. Buy egg-free dried pasta sheets (or broken lasagne sheets) to keep it vegan. Where it goes wrong is adding the pasta too early: it swells, goes slimy and drinks up the soup. Chef's tip: a little green pepper and a fresh tomato added with the potatoes give the soup a summery sweetness.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp sunflower oil
- 5 ½ oz dried pasta sheets (lebbencs)egg-free, broken into 3 cm pieces
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 2 garlic clovescrushed
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika
- ¼ tsp hot paprika (optional)
- 1 tomatochopped
- 1 ⅛ lb potatoespeeled and cut into 1.5 cm cubes
- ½ tsp caraway seeds
- 6 ¼ cups water or vegetable stock
- 1 ½ tsp saltor to taste
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley (optional)chopped
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat half the 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a large pot over a medium heat. Add 5 ½ oz dried pasta sheets (lebbencs) and fry for 4–5 minutes, stirring, until the pieces are golden brown in patches and smell toasty. Tip them onto a plate.
5 minStep 2: Add the rest of the 2 tbsp sunflower oil to the pot and fry 1 onion for 6 minutes, until soft and golden. Stir in 2 garlic cloves for 30 seconds.
7 minStep 3: Take the pot off the heat and stir in 1 tbsp sweet paprika and ¼ tsp hot paprika for a few seconds, until the oil turns red.
1 minStep 4: Straight away add 1 Hungarian green pepper or light green pepper, 1 tomato, 1 ⅛ lb potatoes and ½ tsp caraway seeds, then pour in 6 ¼ cups water or vegetable stock and add 1 ½ tsp salt. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are almost tender.
15 minStep 5: Add the toasted pasta and simmer for 8–10 minutes more, until the pasta is tender but still chewy and the potatoes are soft at the edges.
10 minStep 6: Season with ½ tsp black pepper, taste for salt and serve hot, scattered with 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does lebbencsleves take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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