Difficulty Level: easy
Every house needs two or three “use what you have” go to recipes to fall back on. This Calabacitas recipe is one of those and the best thing about it is that it still tastes like you planned it.
The star of the show is zucchini, which for some might be a lesser used ingredient. However, with a bit of corn, onion, garlic, and a little chili, the dish becomes warming, almost comfort food. It’s perfect to pile into tortillas for snacks, light mains, and more.
This is a great dish to lean a little more into vegetable-forward meals. Not only is it good for your health, cost and complexity wise, it’s pretty darn each to make and won’t empty your pockets.
If you’re looking for a classic Mexican-style dish, check out the Calabacitas ingredients and cooking steps below..
Calabacitas Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 medium zucchini, diced
- 1 cup of corn kernels (fresh, canned, or frozen)
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 cup of queso fresco, crumbled
Calabacitas Instructions
- Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes, until it softens.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Add the zucchini and cook for 6 minutes, stirring now and then, until it starts to turn tender but still holds its shape.
- Mix in the corn and the jalapeño pepper.
- Sprinkle in cumin, salt, and pepper. The latter two can be customized to your own taste.
- Cook for 4 minutes more, until everything is hot and the corn tastes sweet.
- Lower the heat and stir in the cheese. Let it melt into the vegetables, then turn off the heat.
- Top with cilantro and serve warm with a squeeze of lime as it wakes the whole plate up.