Mexican Calabacitas Recipes

CALABACITAS

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add onions, poblanos, and jalapenos. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften.
• Add corn and tomatoes. Cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add zucchini, yellow squash, garlic, salt, black pepper, oregano and ground cumin. Stir to combine and cook for 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so.
• Add water to skillet, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Uncover the skillet, add the shredded cheese and milk, and stir together until the cheese has fully melted.
• Remove from heat, garnish with chopped cilantro and cotija cheese, and serve.

CALABACITAS

Steps:

• Give the tomatoes a good rinse and let them roast in a 400F oven for 20 minutes or until you need them. I usually de-stem the tomatoes knowing that any juices leftover in the roasting pan will be used.
• Finely chop a small onion and get it cooking in some oil over medium heat. Let it cook until it's starting to brown, approx. 7-10 minutes. Add three minced garlic cloves and cook for 30-60 seconds.
• Take a couple spoonfuls of the onion-garlic mixture from the pan and add it to the blender -- this will eventually be combined with the roasted tomatoes.
• Give the zucchinis a good rinse and cut them up into 1/4" sized pieces -- be sure to cut off the ends of the zucchinis and discard. Add the chopped zucchini to the onion-garlic mixture in the pan, along with 3/4 teaspoon salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano. Stir well and let it saute for a couple minutes as you put the tomato mixture together.
• Rinse the jalapeno and chop it up into quarters, discarding the stem. Add the roasted tomatoes to the blender along with 1/4 of the jalapeno. (There should also be a couple spoonfuls of the onion-garlic mixture in the blender.) Combine well and take a taste. Add additional slivers of the jalapeno until the heat tastes right to you. I used a larger jalapeno for this batch and only needed about half of it.
• Add the tomato mixture back to the saucepan and let the zucchini simmer in it for a couple more minutes or until the zucchini is tender but still a little firm -- this batch cooked for a total of 7-8 minutes. If using canned corn you can add it in now as it doesn't need much time to heat up. If using fresh corn kernels you can add them in when you add the zucchini. (I usually drain and rinse canned corn but this is optional.)
• Take a final taste for seasoning. I added another generous pinch of salt to this batch.
• Serve immediately with your choice of garnish. Cotija cheese and freshly chopped cilantro are good options.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge where they will keep for a few days.

CALABACITAS (MEXICAN STYLE ZUCCHINI)

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat the oil and butter over medium heat.
• Add the onion and cook about two minutes.
• Add the zucchini, tomato, corn salt & pepper. Mix all ingredients well.
• Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 8 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle the shredded cheese.
• Replace the cover on the skillet and allow to sit until the cheese melts, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Serve warm and sprinkle with some of queso fresco

CALABACITAS RECIPE

Steps:

• Prep all the veggies, including roasting the corn for a few minutes.
• Make cauliflower rice or use store-bought.
• In a large pan on medium heat, add the avocado oil first and distribute across the pan. Add the chopped zucchini and squash, shallots and spices.
• Sauté for 10 minutes or until veggies are soft.
• Add in the red peppers, roasted corn and fresh herbs. Stir well and cook for another 2 minutes.
• Next, layer the ingredients evenly between 4 bowls for serving: cauliflower rice, calabacitas mixture, and then spinach.
• Top each bowl with sliced lime, avocado and radishes, along with chickpeas and a poached egg.
• For the side dish version, simply omit the cauliflower rice and toppings.
• Serve warm.

MEXICAN CALABACITAS

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook onions for 2-3 minutes in oil over medium heat, until soft.
• Add zucchini and tomatoes.
• Cook for 2-3 minutes, until squash and tomatoes are tender.
• Stir in corn, chile, salt and 1 cup of the cheese.
• Pour this mixture into a greased casserole and sprinkle remaining cheese over top.
• Bake at 350º for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese on top is melted.

CALABACITAS CON ELOTE (ZUCCHINI WITH CORN)

Steps:

• Place the corn in a saucepan with enough water to cover; bring to a boil. Place a cover on the saucepan, reduce heat to medium, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; cook and stir the onion and garlic in the hot oil until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Mix the zucchini and tomato into the onion and garlic; cook together 5 minutes. Stir the corn kernels into the mixture; add the poblano pepper. Season with salt and pepper; stir. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook until the zucchini is tender, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the cotija cheese to serve.

'CALABACITAS GUISADA' (STEWED MEXICAN ZUCCHINI)

Steps:

• Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat; cook the onion and garlic in the hot oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini slices and stewed tomatoes and stir gently. Cover and cook until the zucchini is tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat, season with salt, and add the Cheddar cheese; allow to sit until the cheese has melted.

MEXICAN CALABACITAS

Steps:

• Place oil and chopped garlic in a large skillet, over medium heat.
• Add zucchini and onion, cooking until onion is tender.
• Add corn and tomatoes.
• Cover skillet, and simmer over low heat 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• When mixture is well heated, add cheese, mix and serve.

MEXICAN QUESO-FRESCO CALABACITAS

Steps:

• Heat oil or lard in skillet and cook onions until tender.
• Add garlic, zucchini, and tomato; cook until veggies are crisp-tender.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a large ovenproof casserole, mix together zucchini mixture with chopped poblanos and corn; season with salt.
• Cover with shredded cheese.
• Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes or until warmed through and cheese starts to color.
• For Vegetarian simply use the oil or a vegetable based shortening such as Crisco for the Lard.