Calabacitas con Elote

Vibrant and colorful vegetables take center stage with the sweet burst of corn, tender bite of zucchini, and sassy kick of jalapeno in Calabacitas con Elote. This quick cooking dish is easy to make and versatile to serve. Add it to your next taco night or Sunday dinner.

Queso makes everything better including this garden-fresh dish that celebrates the natural sweetness of corn and zucchini. With the bright pop of lemon and herbaceous touch of cilantro, this dish not only makes a great addition to your taco Tuesdays but can also be a great vegetarian taco filling. Serve it up with your Chipotle Fish Tacos or Habanero Mojo Chicken for a side everyone will love.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Quick Cooking – The only time-consuming portion of this recipe is allowing the salt to work its magic and season the zucchini while drawing out excess moisture. Other than that this comes together in less than twenty minutes.
• Budget Friendly – This fresh and healthy sauteed zucchini and corn is as inexpensive to make as it’s delicious. You can also easily double and triple it to feed a crowd.
• Customizable – You can easily add your favorite proteins to this dish as well as swap out the cheese used. Fresh corn not in season? Use frozen corn. This is a recipe that is easy to completely make your own.
• Texture – Both the corn and the zucchini retain their texture without being over cooked. The step of drawing out the excess moisture from the zucchini keeps this dish from being watery or the zucchini from being soggy.
• Minimal Ingredients – You only need a handful of fresh, simple ingredients to make this zucchini and corn recipe. Besides the stars of the show, you’ll need aromatics like onions and garlic, lemon, cilantro, and the crowning touch of crumbly queso fresco.

What Are Calabacitas?

Calabacitas literally translates to little squash in Spanish. This is a Mexican dish that’s also popular in Texas, New Mexico, and throughout the southwest. It’s often served in the late summer and early fall utilizing the bounty of summer squash. It can come in numerous different versions but at its heart it’s a quick sauté of zucchini and sometimes yellow summer squash.

Some versions add tomatoes, some include a creamy sauce, and others keep it completely the fresh vegetables with no cheese. That’s the beauty of this dish, both its simplicity and also the way you can transform it with ingredients you have. Not only is it a side dish but also a great addition to tacos, burritos, even an omelet or scrambled eggs.

How to Make Calabacitas con Elote

• Dice your zucchini and season with salt. Place the diced zucchini into a colander and season it with kosher salt, tossing to combine. Allow it to sit in the colander for 15-20 minutes. You’ll see the moisture come to the surface of the diced zucchini.
• Pat the zucchini dry. Spread the cubed zucchini out onto a paper towel lined baking sheet and pat the excess moisture off.

• Sauté your aromatics. Heat a large skillet over medium. Add your olive oil and let it heat through before adding the onions and diced jalapeno. Allow them to sauté for 3-5 minutes until the onions are translucent and the jalapeno is tender. Add the minced garlic and let it cook for one minute until fragrant.
• Sauté your corn. Season with salt, pepper, ancho chili powder, and Mexican oregano. Allow it to sauté for 4-6 minutes until tender-crisp.
• Sauté the zucchini. Add the zucchini to the corn mixture. Give another sprinkle of salt and pepper. Let it cook 4-5 minutes, turning every minute or so, until the zucchini begins to slightly brown but still has texture.

• Add your cheese. Remove the skillet from the heat. Squeeze in the lemon juice and stir in the cilantro. Sprinkle the queso fresco over the top.
• Top it off. Top with pico de gallo or chopped tomatoes if desired.

Variations

• Instead of queso fresco top of your zucchini and corn sauté with salty cotija.
• Make it creamy. Stir in a little Mexican crema or sour cream to the dish.
• Make it extra cheesy. Top the calabasitas with a good melting cheese like Oaxaca, asadero, Chihuahua, Monterey jack, or pepper jack cheese.
• Add tomatoes. Add a cup of seeded and diced tomatoes when sautéing the onions. Allow some of their moisture to cook out before adding the corn.
• Use yellow squash. You can either use all yellow squash or replace some of the zucchini in this recipe for yellow squash.
• Bacon makes everything better. Feel free to add in some bacon to this.
• Skip the cheese altogether and you have a vegan dish everyone will love.
• Have fun trying out different chiles in this dish. For a spicier bite add a finely diced serrano or two. For a more mellow, earthy flavor add a poblano. You can even roast them for a smoky note.

Tips From the Beach

• Don’t skip the step of salting your zucchini and allowing it to drain. This will not only give you a more flavorful dish but it will also give the dish more texture and prevent the zucchini from becoming too watering. It also helps draw out any bitterness in the zucchini.
• If you’re adding a melty cheese to this like Oaxaca or Monterey jack, add it a minute or two early so it has a chance to melt.
• Look for small to medium sized zucchini that feel heavy for their size. They’ll have the best flavor and texture.
• Season each layer. Zucchini especially benefits from salt to enhance its delicate sweetness.

Looking for the perfect dish to serve this with? How about Grilled Whole Lobster with Garlic Herb Butter. Want to know where your produce come from? Make sure to check out A Look into Florida Agriculture.

Calabacitas con Elote

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Vibrant and colorful vegetables take center stage with the sweet burst of corn, tender bite of zucchini, and sassy kick of jalapeno in Calabacitas con Elote.

• Author: Nicole Stover
• Prep Time: 20
• Cook Time: 15
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 1x
• Category: Side Dish
• Method: Sauteing
• Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
• 3 medium zucchini, 1/2″ cubed
• 1 medium sweet onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno, diced, remove seeds for less heat if desired
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 ears of corn, kernels removed, can use 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
• 1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Mexican oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/3 cup queso fresco, crumbled
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste
• Pico de gallo or diced tomato for topping, optional

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Instructions

1. Add the diced zucchini to a colander and sprinkle with half a teaspoon of kosher salt. Toss to combine. Allow it to drain for 15-20 minutes.
2. Spread the zucchini out onto a paper towel lined baking sheet and pat dry. 
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Let it heat through. Add the onions and jalapeno and sauté for 3-5 minutes until the onion is translucent and the jalapenos are tender. 
4. Add the garlic and let it cook for one minute.
5. Add the corn. Season with salt, pepper, ancho chili powder, cumin, and Mexican oregano. Let it cook for 4-6 minutes until tender-crisp
6. Add the zucchini and season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Let it cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring every minute until the zucchini is tender and slightly browned, but still has its texture.
7. Turn off the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro. Taste for seasoning.
8. Top with the cheese. Top with fresh pico de gallo or diced tomatoes if desired.

Notes

1. Other types of cheese can be used such as cotija, asadero, Oaxaca, Monterey jack, or Chihuahua.
2. Give each layer a little sprinkle of salt and pepper as you cook this. Zucchini especially benefits from seasoning.