Calabacitas Recipe: A Flavorful Mexican Zucchini Dish

Name: Calabacitas Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: ½ cup roasted corn; 2 cups cauliflower, riced; 2 tablespoons avocado oil; 2 zucchini, chopped; 1 yellow squash, chopped; 1 shallot, minced; 1 teaspoon cumin; ¼ teaspoon chipotle powder; 1 teaspoon sea salt; 1 teaspoon pepper; 3 roasted red peppers from a jar, chopped; ½ cup fresh cilantro, minced; ¼ cup fresh dill, finely chopped; 1 cup spinach; 1 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed; 1 lime, sliced; 1 avocado, sliced; 2 small radishes, sliced; 4 eggs, poached; ½ cup roasted corn; 2 tablespoons avocado oil; 2 zucchini, chopped; 1 yellow squash, chopped; 1 shallot, minced; 1 teaspoon cumin; ¼ teaspoon chipotle powder; 1 teaspoon sea salt; 1 teaspoon pepper; 3 roasted red peppers, chopped; ½ cup cilantro, minced

July 25, 2022 by Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CN

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Have you ever tried calabacitas? It’s commonly served as a side dish in New Mexico and Mexico, but when you add plenty of veggies, beans and a source of high-quality protein, this dish becomes a healthy and fulfilling meal.

That’s the calabacitas recipe that I’ve developed here, as a complete plant-based, vegetarian meal. (It becomes a vegan meal if you remove the eggs.) Furthermore, I will also give some suggestions about what to remove from the dish if you simply want it as a lower calorie side dish.

Zucchini is the star of this dish, and mid-to-late summer at the farmer’s market is when zucchinis are being harvested in most parts of the U.S. Otherwise, zucchini is one vegetable that most grocery stores keep in stock year-round, but this dish is best served in warmer months in my opinion.

The combination of these ingredients make for a comforting, hearty and satiating calabacitas recipe. And it’s super easy to prepare; it just takes about 20 minutes to chop the veggies and cook them down. It’s simple enough to prepare on a busy weeknight when you would be tempted to go for something a little less healthy.

What Are Calabacitas?

Calabacitas is a traditional New Mexican dish that’s made with zucchini/squash, corn and peppers. In Spanish, the word calabacita means “zucchini,” so clearly zucchini is the staple ingredient, but there are a number of calabacitas varieties out there. Some are made with cheese (like cotija and cheddar), some call for pork or other types of meat and some just include a combination of vegetables.

For my calabacitas, I use a mix of veggies like zucchini, yellow squash (“summer squash”), corn, shallots, roasted red pepper, radishes, avocado and spinach, along with chickpeas and cauliflower rice. This makes my version vegan (without the eggs at the end), vegetarian-friendly and gluten-free. Plus, you are getting plenty of healthy fats and immune-boosting nutrients like vitamin C and vitamin A.

Key Ingredients

The star ingredients in these calabacitas are zucchini and yellow squash. These two veggies are closely related and boast a ton of health benefits.

Zucchini, for example, is low in calories, carbs and sugars; and it’s high in essential nutrients like potassium, manganese, and antioxidants like vitamin C and vitamin A.

Did you know that a fully ripe zucchini can grow to be as big as a baseball bat? In fact, when we buy zucchini in the grocery store, they are still considered “immature,” but once they are cooked down with avocado oil (which I use in this recipe), they become soft and tasty.

Avocado oil is far superior to artery-clogging oils like canola, as it contains antioxidants and has a high smoke point.

Nutrition Facts

One serving of my calabacitas is loaded with nutrients:

243 calories
10 grams protein
14 grams fat
23 grams carbohydrates
8 grams fiber
8 grams sugar
115 milligrams vitamin C (153 percent DV)
2,809 IUs vitamin A (120 percent DV)
48 micrograms vitamin K (54 percent DV)
0.56 milligrams vitamin B6 (44 percent DV)
167 micrograms folate (42 percent DV)
0.74 milligrams manganese (41 percent DV)
1.7 milligrams vitamin B5 (34 percent DV)
0.35 milligrams vitamin B2 (32 percent DV)
0.27 milligrams copper (31 percent DV)
459 milligrams sodium (31 percent DV)
199 milligrams phosphorus (28 percent DV)
63 milligrams magnesium (20 percent DV)
1.6 milligrams zinc (20 percent DV)
10.9 micrograms selenium (20 percent DV)
3 milligrams vitamin E (20 percent DV)
793 milligrams potassium (17 percent DV)
2.7 milligrams iron (15 percent DV)
2.1 milligrams vitamin B3 (15 percent DV)
0.17 milligrams vitamin B1 (15 percent DV)
0.26 micrograms vitamin B12 (11 percent DV)

How to Make Calabacitas

To begin prepping your calabacitas, first roast the corn on a grill or stovetop pan for a few minutes. Then make cauliflower rice or buy in stores like Trader Joe’s.

Next, chop up two zucchini and one yellow squash, and carefully slice the corn off of the cob.

You’ll also need to chop three roasted red peppers (from a jar) and mince a shallot. Once you’re done chopping those veggies, get your fresh herbs ready. This recipe includes quarter-cup finely chopped dill and half-cup minced cilantro.

Now heat a large pan over medium heat and add the avocado oil. Once the oil is heated, add in your chopped zucchini, squash and spices (cumin, chipotle powder, sea salt and black pepper).

Let everything cook down for about 10 minutes until the veggies become soft. Add the red peppers, roasted corn and fresh herbs and cook for two more minutes.

Now for the fun part. You are going to begin layering your ingredients to create your calabacitas. Lay out the number of bowls you need and divide up the cauliflower rice at the bottom of each bowl.

Add the calabacitas mixture on top of the rice, and then a fresh spinach layer. Then, in a circle, add the rest of the toppings: chickpeas, sliced lime, radishes and avocado.

The last food to add right in the middle of each bowl is a poached egg. It’s so easy to make poached eggs. Just add about a teaspoon of vinegar to water, bring it to a simmer and break the egg into a small bowl and gently slide it into the water. It only takes about 2 to 3 minutes for the egg whites to become firm.

The finishing touch is to add a touch of hot sauce to each bowl, if you like a little extra heat.

Other Healthy Mexican Dishes