This Calabacitas recipe is a beloved Mexican vegetable dish made from sauteed zucchini and squash, corn, onions, peppers, tomatoes and cheese. It’s healthy, comforting and super satisfying, even for the biggest of meat lovers!
What is Calabacitas?
Calabacitas (which translates to “little squash” in English) is a Mexican dish made from sauteed zucchini or squash, corn, tomatoes and peppers.
It’s often served as a side dish, but is substantial enough to be served as a main vegetarian meal alongside some homemade flour tortillas.
There are many variations of this dish throughout Mexico and the southwestern United States. Some versions don’t include tomatoes, some are plain and feature only the sauteed vegetables, and some include a flavorful cooking liquid that doubles as a sauce.
This calabacitas recipe has a very light and delicious cheese sauce that’s made from adding a little shredded cheese and milk at the end of cooking.
Both ingredients melt and combine with the cooking liquid of the vegetables to create an irresistible sauce that will have you and your family coming back for second!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- zucchini
- yellow squash
- onions and garlic
- jalapeno and poblano peppers
- plum tomatoes
- canned corn
- salt, black pepper, ground cumin
- shredded cheddar cheese
- milk
How to Make Calabacitas
- Saute the vegetables: Saute the onions and peppers for 5 minutes. Then add the corn and tomatoes, and saute for 5 minutes. Lastly, add the squash and all the seasoning, and saute for 5 more minutes.
- Cover and simmer: Add in 1/4 cup water, reduce the heat to simmer, cover and cook for 5 minutes to tenderize the zucchini.
- Make the sauce: Add the shredded cheese and milk. Mix everything together until the cheese has melted and formed a light sauce. Immediately remove the pan from the heat.
- Garnish: Top with chopped cilantro and crumbled cotija cheese. Serve and enjoy!
This recipe is ready in only 30 minutes from start to finish, making it a great weeknight side dish that’s also healthy and delicious!
Helpful Substitutions
Calabacitas is super colorful and a great use of summer vegetables. But just in case you don’t have all of the ingredients in your kitchen, here are a few helpful substitutions you can make:
- You can use any type summer squash you have. Additionally, you can use all zucchini or all yellow squash.
- Instead of fresh peppers, you can use 1 4-ounce can of diced green chiles. Make sure to drain them before using them.
- If poblanos and jalapenos are too spicy for your liking, you can use 1 large or 2 small bell peppers instead.
- Don’t have cotija cheese? Substitute it with crumbled feta cheese or leave it out completely.
Storing and Reheating
Calabacitas can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
Leftovers can be reheated in a microwave on high for 1-2 minutes, stirring halfway through, until fully warmed through. You can also reheat it on the stove in a skillet or pot over medium-high heat until hot.
I do not recommend freezing leftovers.
More Side Dishes You’ll Love
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 poblano pepper, diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, diced (seeds removed if you don't want it spicy)
- 1 15-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained
- 2 plum tomatoes, diced
- 1 large zucchini, sliced into half moons
- 1 large yellow squash, sliced into half moons
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup milk
- optional garnishes: crumbled cotija cheese, chopped cilantro
Instructions
- 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.
Video
Isabel’s Tips:
- You can use any type summer squash you have. Additionally, you can also use all zucchini or all yellow squash.
- Instead of fresh peppers, you can use 1 4-ounce can of diced green chiles. Make sure to drain them before using them.
- If poblanos and jalapenos are too spicy for your liking, you can use 1 large or 2 small bell peppers instead.
- Don’t have cotija cheese? Substitute it with crumbled feta cheese or leave it out completely.
Nutrition Information
Delicious!! We were visiting friends and used fresh ingredients from her garden so we used fresh corn instead of canned. We didn’t have jalapenos but we had Hatch green chiles. Turned out so good. Will have to make again.
This was a brand new dish to me, and I loved it! I’m always looking for veggie heavy dishes that are filling and delicious and this was perfect!
A friend made this for our potluck last night- got rave reviews from all. Am thinking that adding some leftover shredded chicken, and maybe serving it over rice would give me a quick and satisfying meal! Glad to have this recipe!!
I had never heard of calabacitas, so I’m so glad this was a challenge recipe! It was muy delicioso! I enjoyed the addition of the light cheese sauce. I used a habanero instead of jalapeno, which was the perfect amount of spice for us! Even better, it made a perfect, satisfying lunch the next day!
Such a great recipe, had harvested some yellow squash and zucchini from my garden, it was perfect to make this week!! Definitely something that I will continue to make, especially since everyone in my family loves calabacitas! Isabel, thank you for blessing us with these amazing recipes!!
I was actually able to pick up some squash and zucchini from the Farmer’s Market this week to make this dish. Totally worth it! It was super-yummy, and a snap to make. It’s definitely going into our comida Mexicana nights! 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
Calabacitas is a dish my mother made us all the time. I used fresh corn since it is in season. My calabacitas were delicious. Perfect summer time side dish.
This was delicious. It was easy to make and a great side dish along with grilled salmon.
Oh my gosh…this is SO GOOD! Made it tonight with your carne asada and we all had seconds. This vegetable dish is simply amazing. Will be making this on repeat forever!
Incredible flavor! A wonderfully delicious way to add vegetables to our routine. Filling enough to eat alone, also great as a side dish. Easy to follow steps, definitely a ‘make again’ in our house!
This dish has a few steps, but its super easy, flexible and packed with flavor! I will definitely be making this again! Such a fun way to use up extra garden veggies!
This is my new favorite veggie side dish! I have tons of zucchini in my garden at this time of year and am always looking for ways to use them up. I was worried the zucchini would not cook enough and be too crunchy, but they came out perfectly crisp tender. I also added a little bit of yellow bell pepper since I had one that needed to be used up. What a flavorful and delicious recipe!
I’m from Colorado and live in NJ now. I miss real southwestern food. This recipe was delicious. I substituted fresh frozen hatch chili and Serrano chili instead of poblano and jalapeño Otherwise it was perfect. My kids who love spicy foods loved it
Hello Jody! Thank you so much!
This recipe wasn’t what I expected. Still, even substituting feta for the cotija cheese it was very good. Because I live alone I frequently convert sides to an entree, and this side checked all the boxes for a conversion. After making it once, I decided to make it a “meal prep” recipe, and that worked out very well. I will be making this again.
P.S. Wish I had seen Carlos’ post before making this. I love the rustic flavor smoked paprika imparts to Latin-American food. So Carlos..next time I make it I am going to incorporate the smoked paprika. Thanks.
Hi Barbara! Thanks for sharing, we’re glad you enjoyed this recipe!
We absolutely devoured this. Had to make a couple little changes to use what was on hand, subbing a can of hatch chilies + Aleppo pepper for the poblano + jalapeno. Did not add milk. Added a generous handful of mozzarella along w/ the cheddar to guild the lily. Thank you for this incredibly tasty way to eat so many great vegetables!!
Hi Nichole! Thanks for sharing your tips, they sound delicious!
So delicious!
The poblanos or jalapeños would be too spicy for me. Please clarify, I would use either a bell pepper or a can of drained green chilies? One or the other, but not both? Thanks for your help.
Hi Rose! Yes you can use one or the other, or both! It just depends on what kind of flavors and vegetables you want to use.
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I rarely follow recipes exactly (don’t blame). I did sub out a red pepper for the poblano, used freshly grated Monterey Jack instead of cheddar, used about 8 oz of cherry tomatoes (halved) in stead of the plum ones, and also snuck in a 1/4 tsp of smoked paprika. All small changes to a fantastic recipe otherwise. When reading the recipe, I never thought it would taste so good (I even think my changes may have made it ‘worse’). No matter what, my wife said, “Please make this every week!” Such an overall flavorful and healthy meal. Thank you so much!!
Thank you so much, Carlos! We’re glad you enjoyed this recipe and added your own twist to it!
Reminds me of a Dallas restaurant that occasionally serves calabacitas. I think this recipe is better! Thank you for sharing. Adjusted a bit to use extra squash and cut back on salt. Just outstanding!
Delicious recipe! I made it for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it!
I made this this morning and we are going to eat it like tacos. My Hispanic son-in-law and daughter called it bomb and fire! An obvious hit! I made a double batch which meant doubling the chilies and jalapeños. A little too spicy for me, so I would cut back on the peppers. Also added cilantro. Going to add some fresh line to the tacos.