- The specifics of preparing Bulgarian lyutenitsa
- Selecting and preparing the main ingredients
- How to prepare Bulgarian-style lyutenitsa for the winter
- Classic recipe
- With garlic
- With sweet peppers, eggplants and carrots
- Spicy lyutenitsa
- Lyutenitsa with orange vegetables
- How and how long is the preparation stored?
This traditional Bulgarian dish is not only popular in its homeland. This delicacy has already found many fans around the world. The sauce prepared according to this recipe is a wonderful complement to any meat dish. It's especially delicious to enjoy this delicacy in winter, when vitamin deficiencies are common. How to prepare lyutenitsa (preserving recipe for the winter) requires a detailed examination.
The specifics of preparing Bulgarian lyutenitsa
An exquisite meat sauce has its own specific preparation requirements.
Let's look at the main points you'll encounter during the cooking process:
- You will need to be patient, as this delicacy takes quite a long time to prepare compared to other similar recipes.
- Special attention must be paid to the selection of ingredients for the dish (whole and ripe fruits are selected for preservation).
- It is important to carefully approach the process of chopping vegetables (the dish is distinguished by the presence of small lumps).

- Depending on the recipe, additional spices are selected for lyutenitsa and added to taste.
- When cooking, you need to follow the cooking technology to get lyutenitsa, and not tomato sauce.
- The canning procedure must be carried out in accordance with the recommendations (jars and lids are pre-sterilized).
Taking all these points into account, it is possible to prepare a delicious dish that will be a wonderful addition to meat products.
When choosing a particular recipe, it is necessary to follow the recommendations for its preparation so that the end result has a decent taste and also contains an abundance of vitamins and nutrients.

Selecting and preparing the main ingredients
To prepare a delicious and nutritious meal, you need to carefully select your ingredients. Let's look at the criteria for selecting vegetables for canning:
- It is not recommended to use overripe or unripe vegetables for canning (the taste of the sauce will be spoiled);
- to prepare this delicacy for the winter, ripe fruits that were recently picked are used;
- It is recommended to use undamaged vegetables (whole skin, no damage) when preparing this dish;
- For lyutenitsa, choose vegetables collected from healthy bushes (fruits picked from diseased plants should not be used).
All ingredients of the dish must be pre-washed and dried, and only then begin preparing the dish.
It is recommended to use vegetables from your own garden, as there is no risk of choosing artificially grown vegetables specially fed with various compounds for accelerated growth.
How to prepare Bulgarian-style lyutenitsa for the winter
To prepare a delicious sauce for canning, it is recommended to follow one of the following recipes:
- classic lyutenitsa;
- a delicacy with added garlic;
- delicious with eggplant, carrots and sweet pepper;
- hot lyutenitsa with hot pepper;
- dish with orange vegetables.

In each individual case, the preparation technology differs, as does the abundance of ingredients used.
To make a traditional delicacy, you need to adhere to the preparation technology, as well as observe the quantity and proportions of the ingredients used.
Classic recipe
To prepare this delicious dish you will need the following:
- prepare thick-skinned bell peppers (1 kilogram) and 400 grams of ripe and sweet tomatoes;
- cut the pepper in half, remove the seeds, stems and partitions, peel the tomatoes (chopped tomatoes in a blender);

- Bake the pepper halves for 20 minutes, boil the tomatoes until the excess liquid evaporates;
- Subsequently, the skin is removed from the pepper, and then it is passed through a blender or meat grinder;
- add one hot pepper and a celery stalk (these ingredients also need to be chopped in a blender);
- Everything is mixed in one pan, brought to a boil, and then simmered over low heat for 15 minutes.
At the end of cooking, add vegetable oil (50 milliliters) and vinegar (20 milliliters). The finished mixture is poured into jars and then sealed with metal lids.
With garlic
In this case, a traditional dish is prepared according to a classic recipe with the addition of garlic:
- for cooking you need to add 5 peeled heads of garlic;
- This ingredient is added to the composition together with hot pepper and celery;
- For cooking, you can chop the garlic in a blender or meat grinder.
To release the juice from the garlic, you can press it, which will add a specific taste and aroma to the dish.

With sweet peppers, eggplants and carrots
Here, they use sweet peppers, not bell peppers. Let's take a closer look at how to prepare the dish:
- tomatoes (3 kilograms), eggplants (1 kilogram), peppers (2 kilograms) need to be washed and dried;
- The stems are cut off the eggplants and then baked in the oven with foil (30 minutes), then the liquid is removed from the vegetables (they must be placed under a press);
- Baked vegetables are peeled and then chopped in a blender until pureed;

- the pepper is also baked for 20 minutes, then steamed under foil, and the skin is removed (the seeds and partitions are also removed);
- Pepper and peeled tomatoes must be pureed using a blender;
- for flavor, add 4 hot peppers, 300 grams of carrots, and 200 grams of peeled garlic;

- tomatoes, sweet peppers and eggplants are mixed and then brought to a boil (sugar and salt are added to taste);
- At the end, add the hot dressing and vinegar (100 milliliters), stir the dish and simmer for 10 minutes.
The finished lyutenitsa is poured into jars and then rolled under a metal lid.
Spicy lyutenitsa
To create a nutritious, spicy meat sauce, use the classic recipe, adding more hot pepper:
- to add spiciness, use 3-4 peppers;
- the stems must be removed from the fruits;
- Vegetables are chopped in a blender.
The finished puree is added to the mixture; to add a natural spiciness, garlic (4-5 cloves) is a must. Grind it together with the pepper.

Lyutenitsa with orange vegetables
To prepare this dish, you'll need bell peppers (5 kilograms), carrots (half a kilogram), tomatoes (3 kilograms), and onions (500 grams). Let's take a closer look at how to prepare the dish:
- All vegetables must be washed and then peeled;
- the bell pepper is freed from seeds, partitions and stalks;
- all ingredients are passed through a blender into a common bowl;
- dill and parsley are added for flavor;
- all contents are placed on the fire (after boiling, sugar is added);
- when the mixture thickens, remove the dill sprig;
- Also, for flavor, add chopped garlic, ground pepper and salt.
At the end, it is recommended to add 200 milliliters of oil and 50 milliliters of vinegar.
How and how long is the preparation stored?
The prepared sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. As for canning, once sealed, the products remain usable for several years. The following factors affect shelf life:
- Stable presence of low temperatures.
- Lack of natural light (sun rays).
- Presence of high air humidity.
To ensure the preserves last longer, you should use vinegar during preparation and bring the preserves to room temperature before storing them.












