By Chef Nikki Guerrero, Hot Mama Salsa as featured in Cook First PDX
Late-Harvest Comfort in a Skillet
If your garden (or your Saturday farmers market haul) is brimming with zucchini, corn, and tomatoes, calabacitas is your answer. This classic Mexican dish, its name literally means “little squash”, has been passed down through generations, and it feels just as at home here in the PNW with our late-summer bounty. It’s versatile, comforting, and endlessly adaptable. You can scoop it next to beans, rice, and warm tortillas, fold it into a quesadilla, pile it alongside your favorite Mexican dish, or eat it straight from the skillet with a little extra cheese melted on top.
This recipe comes to us from Nikki Guerrero, owner of Portland’s Hot Mama Salsa, who grew up with calabacitas as a family staple. Traditionally, calabacitas is finished with a sprinkling of crumbly queso fresco or cotija, but Chef Guerrero’s version leans into big, melty chunks of cheddar. However you finish it- vegan cheese, queso fresco, cheddar, or no cheese at all, it’s comfort food that still delivers.
Calabacitas Recipe
Ingredients
2–3 Roma or paste tomatoes
2 zucchini squash
1 white onion
2 cloves garlic
2 ears of fresh sweet corn (or 2 cups frozen)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp Mexican oregano
Fresh epazote (optional, but amazing if you’ve got it)
2 Tbsp olive oil
½ cup sharp cheddar cheese (or your preferred, or no cheese at all!)
Sea salt to taste
Directions
Dice onion and tomatoes, mince garlic, and slice zucchini into half-moons. Shuck corn and cut off the kernels.
Heat olive oil in a skillet and sauté onion and zucchini until just starting to caramelize (about 5 minutes). Add garlic and cook for another minute.
Sprinkle in cumin and oregano (crush oregano between your palms to release the flavor). Add tomatoes, lower the heat, and cover until zucchini softens.
Stir in corn and cheese, go rustic with big chunks or grate it if you prefer. Cover for 2 minutes until the cheese melts and corn is warmed through.
Season with salt and finish with fresh epazote if you’ve got some on hand.
Simple, soulful, and endlessly flexible, calabacitas is proof that the best comfort food doesn’t have to be complicated.