Calabacitas, Mexican Squash with Corn
Calabacitas is a homestyle dish of the Mexican north and the US Southwest, built on whatever summer squash and corn are ripe at once. The name just means little squashes. Cooks often add cheese or cook it in lard, but the vegetables carry the plate on their own when you treat them right. The roasted poblano is the ingredient that makes it taste like more than sautéed squash: char it hard, steam it, and peel it. Then keep the zucchini honest with a covered, quick simmer so it stays intact instead of collapsing into water. Cumin, Mexican oregano, and a little nutritional yeast round it out without any salt.
Ingredients
- 3 Zucchinis, about 1.5 lb (680 g), cut in half-moons
- 1 cup Frozen corn, thawed
- 1 Poblano, roasted, peeled, and diced
- 2 Fresh tomatoes, chopped
- 1 Yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Dried oregano, Mexican
- 1/2 tsp Cumin seed, toasted and ground
- 2 tbsp Nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped
Method
- Char the poblano directly over a gas flame or under the broiler until the skin is blackened all over. Seal it in a bowl with a plate on top for 10 minutes, then rub off the burnt skin and dice the flesh. Roasting and peeling is what turns a raw, grassy poblano into something sweet and smoky.
- Sweat the onion in a wide pan with a splash of water until soft and translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, and oregano and cook for another minute so the spices bloom in the moisture.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until they slump into a loose sauce, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the zucchini, corn, and roasted poblano. Cover and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, until the zucchini is tender but still holds its shape. Keeping the lid on and the time short is what stops the watery zucchini from flooding the pan, the reason most people reach for salt to draw the water out first.
- Stir in the nutritional yeast, which gives a mild cheesy roundness in place of the queso fresco often crumbled on top. Finish with cilantro and serve warm.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 110 calories, 5 g protein, 5 g fiber, 25 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
