This page may contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link. This post is about an Easy Cheesy New Mexico Calabacitas Recipe!
I discovered an amazing dish called Calabacitas when I was in New Mexico. This is one of the most famous New Mexican dishes and it's also beloved in the southwest region of the United States.
Let me tell you a little about this vegetable side dish, which you will absolutely love!
Jump to:
What Is Calabacitas?
Calabacitas is the Spanish word for "little squashes". This dish may have originated from Mexican cuisine, but it has become a traditional dish in the state of New Mexico.
There are many variations of this dish, but it typically contains seasonal ingredients such as yellow summer squash (and other varieties of summer squash), corn, and green chilies.
Why You Will Love This New Mexico Calabacitas Recipe!
Here are a few reasons why you will LOVE this Easy Cheesy New Mexico Calabacitas recipe:
- This vegetarian dish has great flavors, and is the perfect side dish to accompany all your favorite mains! The tender squash, sweet corn, and chiles combine to give you wonderful depth of flavor.
- Calabacitas is very versatile and easy. You could even make this a main dish by adding some cooked ground beef, chicken or turkey to it which will make meat lovers happy!
- You will have this ready in less than 30 minutes for your whole family to enjoy!
- It's CHEESY! The gooey melted cheese is a pure delight!
So now let me tell you what you'll need to make this fabulous dish!
🥘 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need for this easy recipe:
- Summer Squash - it's lovely to use a variety of squashes if you can! Some recommendations are yellow squash, Mexican zucchini or Mexican squash, and Italian squash that we commonly call zucchini; if you can find an 8-Ball zucchini be sure to include it!
- Olive oil
- Butter
- Onion
- Green chiles - to keep things simple, I used a can of Hatch Diced Green Chiles. The Hatch brand, out of Albuquerque, New Mexico, offers a hot Hatch green chile product (pictured below), as well as a mild New Mexican green chile that is diced and canned. It's more work, but you could also use poblano peppers which are roasted, peeled, deveined and deseeded, and chopped.
- Sweet Corn - I used canned corn which I drained; you could also use frozen corn after defrosting it or even fresh corn kernels
- Fresh garlic cloves
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Dried oregano (or dried Mexican oregano)
- Cheese - I used sharp cheddar cheese; some other options that would be great to make calabacitas con queso are cotija cheese, queso fresco, or Monterey Jack. The queso fresco and cotija won't really melt, but they could be used as more of a finishing touch by crumbling or sprinkling on top.
You should be able to find all the ingredients you will need for this green chile calabacitas at your local grocery store.
So let's have some fun making this traditional dish of New Mexico!
🔪 Instructions
Prepare your squash, onion, and garlic. Chop the onion, mince the garlic, and slice the squash into discs. If one of your squashes is very large, you can cut the pieces in a way that they are similar in size to your smaller squash discs.
Add the butter and olive oil to your large skillet and heat on medium. Once the butter is melted and the pan is hot, add the chopped onion and minced garlic. Sauté for around 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Keep your skillet on a medium heat. Add the squash, and cook for around 10 minutes until the squash is tender. Stir every once in awhile, but it's nice to let the squash sit undisturbed for a bit without turning so that you get some browning on the squash.
Now add the green chiles, corn, and seasonings (salt, pepper, and oregano) to your sauteed zucchini mixture. Stir to combine, and let this cook for around 2 minutes. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if you like.
Turn the heat to low. Now add the shredded cheddar cheese and let this melt. Cover the skillet if you can to help the cheese melt quickly.
Behold your beautiful creation, and enjoy right away!
Suggestions For Serving
This dish is beautiful served as a side to accompany your favorite main meals. You could also enjoy it in a soft taco with a side of Mexican borracho beans. DELISH!
Add some ground beef, chicken or turkey to turn this into a main meal.
Buen provecho!
FAQ
If you have leftover calabacitas, store it in an airtight container in your refrigerator and enjoy within 3 days.
You could add some chopped Roma tomatoes or red pepper for some additional texture and color if you like. Consider adding some chili powder, serrano peppers or hot sauce to make this spicier if you like!
Some Other Recipes You May Enjoy!
Here are some other recipes you may enjoy:
- An Easy and Delicious Green Chile Burger Awaits!
- Easy Cheesy Air Fryer Zucchini
- Roasted Broccoli With Parmesan
Join Me On A Fun Food Journey!
I invite you to come along on this food journey with me! Please sign up to get the latest recipes and inspiration for you to expand your food comfort zone! It's an incredible journey, please join me by signing up here.
Cheers!
Grace
Easy Cheesy New Mexico Calabacitas Recipe
Equipment
- cast iron skillet cast iron is preferred, but a large skillet can also be used
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb squash this is around 3-4 squash; it's nice to use different varieties and colors if you can
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ onion chopped
- 4 oz green chiles I used a 4 oz can and did not drain them; New Mexico Hatch Green Chiles are perfect for this dish!
- 1 cup corn I used canned corn
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ ts salt plus additional to taste
- ¼ ts pepper plus additional to taste
- ¼ ts oregano plus additional to taste (can sub Mexican oregano)
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded; I used sharp cheddar; feel free to sub Monterey Jack or another cheese that you enjoy
Instructions
- Prepare your squash, onion, and garlic. Chop the onion, mince the garlic, and slice the squash into discs. If one of your squashes is very large, you can cut the pieces in a way that they are similar in size to your smaller squash discs.
- Add the butter and olive oil to your skillet and heat on medium. Once the butter is melted and the pan is hot, add the chopped onion and minced garlic. Sauté for around 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Keep your skillet on a medium heat. Add the squash, and cook for around 10 minutes until the squash is tender. Stir every once in awhile, but it's nice to let the squash sit for a bit without turning so that you get some browning on the squash.
- Now add the green chiles, corn, and seasonings (salt, pepper, and oregano). Stir to combine, and let this cook for around 2 minutes. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if you like.
- Turn the heat to low. Now add the shredded cheese and let this melt. Cover the skillet if you can to help the cheese melt quickly.
- Behold your beautiful creation, and enjoy right away!
Leave a Reply