Calabacitas means "little squashes" in Spanish. The name also refers to a traditional Mexican recipe of sautéed summer squash, corn, onions, peppers, tomatoes and cheese. It's often served alongside a larger dish, but is substantial enough to be a vegetarian main course.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 large bell pepper, stemmed and seeded, diced
- 2-3 jalapeño pepper, stemmed and seeded, diced
- Kernels from 2-3 ears of corn, boiled and drained
- 2-4 tomatoes, diced (use more if your tomatoes are on the smaller side)
- 2 summer squash or zucchini, sliced into half moons
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup shredded cheddar or colby cheese
- ¼ cup milk
- For serving: crumbled cotija cheese, chopped cilantro
Preparation
- Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
Add onions, bell peppers, and jalapeños. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until everything begins to soften. - Add the corn and tomatoes to the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
- Add summer squash, garlic, salt, black pepper, oregano and ground cumin to the skillet. Stir to combine and cook for 5-10 more minutes. Stir occasionally to keep everything from sticking.
- Add the water to skillet, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Uncover the skillet. Add the shredded cheese and the milk, stirring until the cheese has fully melted.
- Remove from heat. Garnish with the chopped cilantro and cotija cheese. Serve hot.