Need a flavorful Mexican side dish? Try this delicious calabacitas con queso with zucchini, corn, tomatoes and cheese. Serve as a side or stuff in tortillas for calabacitas tacos!
Calabacitas con Queso Recipe
Packed full of veggies and flavor, calabacitas con queso (squash with cheese) is one of my favorite dishes to make all year long!
During the winter months you can use frozen or canned vegetables, while in the summer you can use fresh.
Plus, there are lots of substitutions so you can tweak it exactly to your family’s taste.
What is calabacitas?
Some of you are probably wondering what this even is. Calabacitas means “little squash” in Spanish.
The calabacitas recipe is a sautéed vegetable side dish with corn, onions, tomatoes and peppers. It’s like a Mexican version of succotash if you’re familiar with that.
It’s popular in the southwest, New Mexico and Tex-Mex cuisine.
It can be served as a side dish, or it also makes a great vegetarian filling for tacos!
How do you make calabacitas?
- Step one: prepare and chop the vegetables.
- Step two: sauté everything together just until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Step three: add cheese and serve.
You don’t have to add cheese, but then it wouldn’t be “con queso.” The type of cheese is up to you.
My favorites are a melting cheese like Monterrey Jack, or a crumbly cheese like queso fresco or cotija.
The main ingredient is the squash. Zucchini is traditional, but you can also use yellow summer squash or a mix of the two.
In my version of calabacitas, I use a can of diced green chilies. If your family likes things spicy, a poblano pepper would be delicious.
If your family doesn’t like any kind of spice, use a green bell pepper instead. I love how easy this recipe is to adapt!
If you’re making this during a time when fresh tomatoes aren’t in season, use a can of diced tomatoes with chiles and kill two birds with one stone!
I like to serve this with a meat main dish like Mexican Pork Stew or my authentic carne asada recipe.
SAVE THIS PIN FOR LATER!
Rhonda says
This was great. I made it just as written, with the can of diced peppers, and a little Monterey Jack. It went well with your stew meat Carne Guisada recipe. My husband loved this zucchini “succotash.” Thanks for the recipe! So easy and fast, too.
TJ Russell-Zapata says
My mother in law, who is Mexican by birth, use to make this quite often using tatuma squash. I love it over mashed potatoes.
Rebekah says
That sounds delicious!
Roz says
Maybe one day cooking sites will recognize that not all Mexican flavor in cooking is Tex-Mex. California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada all were at one time Mexico and subsequently share cooking flavors. Tex-Mex is a contrived term, which to me, says too much cumin!
Raquel Hug says
Agree 100%. Totally different cuisine.