

Calabacitas | Erica Robbin
The ultimate comfort food.
It’s that time of year when all the late summer and early autumn harvests start ripening to their full fruition. This includes squash, corn, and chiles.
Calabacitas is a dish that uses those lovely vegetables and this version is how my family typically makes it, but you can tailor it to however you like. I like to add seasonings in stages, while cooking the meat and while adding vegetables.
Some people prefer it thick, some prefer it a more soupy texture, there are several ways to make it.
Credit: ericarobbin.com
Ingredients
- CALABACITAS:
- 1 lb ground hamburger meat, lean, optional
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 corn cobs of fresh kernels (canned is ok)
- 5-7 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 white or yellow onion, diced
- 2 zucchini, sliced
- 2 yellow crookneck squash, sliced
- 1/2-1 tomatoes, cored, deseeded, diced
- 1/4-1/2 cup roasted hatch green chile
- 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
- 1 teaspoon pepper, to taste
- 1-2 teaspoons oregano
- 1-2 teaspoons menudo seasoning Other options: shredded cheddar cheese, thyme, Italian seasoning, diced bell peppers, diced jalapeños
Directions
- CALABACITAS :
- Fry hamburger meat and some seasonings over med-high heat until cooked through, drain fat, set aside.
- In a separate pan, cook butter and corn until roasted, where almost some kernels are almost burnt and that’s ok, it adds flavor.
- Then add garlic, let it roast more.
- Then add onion, zucchini, and yellow squash, cover and let cook until just barely done.
- Stir in green chile, then tomato while cooking on a low simmer.
- Lastly add meat and additional seasonings as desired, continue to simmer until all is tender but color remains.




