Squash Calabacitas

Another “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” recipe. Very simple and basic, but very good. Only thing different I did was to not add beans, as I was also serving black beans for dinner. A good counterpoint to a spicy or complex main or other side.

This recipe has potential, but as written it is bland, bland, bland. Also, the picture doesn’t match the recipe. There are red bell peppers in the picture, but they are not called for in the recipe. I think this recipe would be helped with a liberal dose of Mexican spices.

Added two 15oz cans of diced tomatoes (use fresh when in season), and left it uncooked in the fridge. Cooked it in small batches (sauteed or roasted) with the juice of one lime added to most batches. Used as a side with tacos, burritos etc. Using the last of it in a brunch casserole.

I have made this dish 2 or 3 times now. I’ve enjoyed the dish each time but made with green pepper previously. The last time was the first when I used a poblano pepper. Either way, this is a tasty dish of high nutrition. Please be forewarned, however, that the poblano is very spicy and can cause considerable discomfort to sensitive areas. Consequently, plastic gloves are highly recommended when handling cut peppers.

Great basic recipe; one poblano and three garlic cloves weren’t enough for us. Will make again with seasonings adjusted for our preference.

Surprisingly tasty – great side.

I made it as a side dish for 12 people. I used the “change servings” button and ended up needing 12 zucchini! I only used 6. I added a can of tomatoes and took out one can of corn. It smelled so good but didn’t have much flavor. It made too much and it had way too much zucchini in it. I will make it again but I will be adjusting the recipe.

Pretty tasty! I sautéed the onions quite a while to bring out the sweetness, then just lightly cooked the rest to heat through and soften the squash (but not let it get mushy!). For leftovers, I added some spinach and reheated in the skillet. Just as good, maybe better that way.

Very tasty. My 2 year old gobbled it up. I used an Anaheim Chile instead because it’s what I had on hand. If I wasn’t feeding it to my kiddos, I’d enjoy a little kick.

It was ok

It’s a nice dish. I didn’t rinse the beans. When I added the corn and beans I also added a pinch of kosher salt and about 1/2 tsp cumim. I topped a serving with swiss cheese. It would be great with shrimp, chicken, turkey or a mild meat. It’s great for vegan and vegetarians looking for a change up.

Great side dish on Mexican pizza night!

a couple things first…i did not use corn, not always a fan of the sweetness, so left it out. Had frozen roasted green chilis in the freezer, so threw one of those in the pan to defrost when I added the zucchini…then realized I should have removed the seend, these were quite potent. Did my best to removed of the seeds from the pan…still added quite bit of heat to the dish. At the end I added a fresh tomato and an avocado. Served as a side dish with grilled fish tacos. I liked it. Kept well for a few days in the fridge so I could bring it to work for lunch…was yummy reheated too.

Simple and easy to prepare. Delicous over rice or noodles, with added Soy sauce and Mozarrela cheese sprinkled over ingredients over rice or noodles.

Turned this recipe into a soup, and it was delicious! Sautéed red, yellow, and green peppers instead of the poblano, and I added chicken boullion, fresh ground cumin and fresh cilantro leaves. Excellent way to jazz up squash.

I tend to take the best of all recommended changes to recipes and make my own personal masterpiece. And I did with this dish, which came out delicious. I made 12 servings for a friend’s Cinco De Mayo party, which was more than I expected, yet most of it was eaten up, mostly as a side dish, but also as a main course for the two vegetarians at the party. Here’s the changes I made to the four (4 ) serving recipe originally shown on allrecipes.com: Instead of 4 zucchini, I used 2 zucchini and 2 butternut squash (for color). I used 1 can of Ro*Tel tomatoes because they’re lightly spicy, and 1 tablespoon of cilantro. I then covered and sauteed until soft, over medium heat, stirring about once a minute. Then, I stirred in the recommended amount of corn, but reduced the beans by 1/3, about 10 ounces. While that mixture was heating, I added the recommended amount of salt, plus 1 fresh lime, 1 teaspoon of chili powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of cumin. Continue to cook uncovered, stirring about once a minute. I also found out it’s just as delicious cold as warm. If you can let it sit for a few hours in the refrigerator, and then thoroughly stir it, and microwave it (or serve it cold), it tastes even better.

So I changed this a bit. My husband has to have meat, so I cooked bacon, and instead of the olive oil I cooked it in some of the bacon grease leaving the bacon in the pan. I also added a jalapeno, green pepper and red pepper. Delicious!

We don’t mix the beans with the zuccini in Mexico. The original recipe only uses corn, green chile roasted slices and cream. The chile pepper is not supposed to be red.

Omit the black beans, use hot Hatch green chile (anaheims) instead of the poblano. Best if the chiles are roasted and peeled. A New Mexico classic on a tortilla topped with red chile.

Seasoning is not balanced at all. Definitely needs some acidity. Lime or lemon juice would be good, but I used rice vinegar because that’s what I had on hand. Really perked up the earthiness of the beans. I used “regular” corn, which isn’t very sweet, so I added a shredded carrot. Next time, I’ll make sure to buy organic frozen white corn. Added a few grinds of black pepper, but if I make this for spice-minded folks in the future, will add a minced habanero or sprinkle of chipotle powder. As others have said, a good start. Thanks for posting.

For all that color and contrast it was like a trick on your tastebuds once it hit your mouth – where did the flavor go?