In the vast world of culinary delights, the chayote squash, also known as mirliton, stands out as a versatile ingredient that has captivated the imaginations of cooks and food enthusiasts alike. With its mild, refreshing flavor and remarkable adaptability, this unique fruit seamlessly blends into a plethora of culinary creations, ranging from savory dishes to tantalizing desserts. Its subtle sweetness and crisp texture add a refreshing touch to salads, stir-fries, and curries, while its ability to absorb flavors makes it an ideal companion for marinades, sauces, and stews. Whether you're seeking a hearty soup to warm your soul on a chilly evening or a light and tangy ceviche to awaken your senses, the chayote squash awaits your culinary explorations.
Here are our top 9 tried and tested recipes!
CHAYOTE SQUASH SIDE DISH
A simple and elegant, EASY side dish made from an exotic, but inexpensive squash. Paired with chicken or fish, it rounds out a weeknight supper.
Provided by Navy S.
Categories Side Dish Vegetables Squash
Time 25m
Yield 2
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Heat olive oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add garlic, squash, salt, pepper, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Stir together and cook 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add vinegar to the squash mixture and cook 2 to 3 minutes longer, until the squash is slightly wilted, but still firm and crunchy. Taste, and add more salt or sugar if needed.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 89.8 calories, Carbohydrate 7.2 g, Fat 7 g, Fiber 2 g, Protein 1 g, SaturatedFat 1 g, Sodium 584.1 mg, Sugar 2.8 g
BAKED CHAYOTE SQUASH
Cheesy, custardy stuffed squash with bread crumbs on top. This dish is great as a side with beans, meat, and rice, Central American-style.
Provided by Dom's Kitchen
Categories Side Dish Vegetables Squash
Time 1h40m
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Place the chayote into a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until very tender, 45 to 50 minutes. Drain and allow to steam dry for a minute or two.
- Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Remove the seed and seed membrane from the chayote using a spoon; discard. Scoop out as much of the remaining pulp as possible into a bowl without puncturing the shell. Pat the shell dry with a paper towel and place in a baking dish; set aside. Squeeze the excess water from the reserved pulp. Stir in the butter, egg, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, and 2 tablespoons Cheddar cheese until well-blended. Fill each of the chayote shells with the pulp/cheese mixture. Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese on top, followed by the bread crumbs.
- Bake in the preheated oven until heated through and the cheese has melted, 35 to 45 minutes.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 377.3 calories, Carbohydrate 21.3 g, Cholesterol 120.4 mg, Fat 25.8 g, Fiber 6.3 g, Protein 16.7 g, SaturatedFat 15.2 g, Sodium 466 mg, Sugar 1.2 g
FRIED CHAYOTE SQUASH
(Chayotes Fritos) A hard, green, mild squash, the chayote is another wonderful plant native to Mexico. The beauty of the chayote is that it takes on the flavor of whatever seasoning it's cooked in. Serve on the side of your favorite meat.
Provided by Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee
Categories Vegetable Side Sauté Vegetarian Cinco de Mayo Squash Vegan Party Kidney Friendly Pescatarian Wheat/Gluten-Free Peanut Free Tree Nut Free Soy Free No Sugar Added Kosher
Yield Makes 4 to 6 side-dish servings
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat, until the butter is melted. Add the onions and sauté until they are golden, but not browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the chayote and oregano and sauté an additional 2 or 3 minutes, until the squash starts to soften. Lower the heat, cover, and let cook until the chayote is tender, an additional 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat. Add the salt and pepper and toss before serving.
GRILLED CORN SALAD WITH CHAYOTE SQUASH
My roasted corn salad with chayote squash. Refrigerate overnight, if possible. The longer that the mixture is allowed to sit, the more flavorful it will become.
Provided by Christopher Stolworthy
Time 9h35m
Yield 6
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate.
- Oil corn, chayote squash, zucchini, and chile peppers; place on a rack for 5 minutes to allow excess oil to drip off.
- Transfer vegetables to the preheated grill and cook until they have a nice brown crust, 10 to 15 minutes. The corn should have some kernels that are close to burning, and the peppers will be expanding and making popping noises. Remove from the grill and allow to cool, about 30 minutes.
- Remove and discard the plastic-like skin from the peppers by scraping the blade of a knife along the outsides. Mince peppers, dice zucchini and chayote, and cut corn kernels off the cobs. Transfer all to a bowl and add onion, cilantro, lime zest and juice, and salt to taste. Add more olive oil if the mixture is dry or if you want the flavor to be more pronounced.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 165.6 calories, Carbohydrate 32.6 g, Fat 4 g, Fiber 6.2 g, Protein 6 g, SaturatedFat 0.6 g, Sodium 58.3 mg, Sugar 8 g
STUFFED CHAYOTE SQUASH
Provided by Food Network
Time 1h5m
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Slice chayotes in half. Boil in salted water for about 30 minutes. Scoop out seeds and discard. Scoop out flesh and mix with all other ingredients except cheese. Saute with olive oil. Stuff Sauteed vegetables in squash halves, then bake in 325 degree F oven for about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.
CORN AND CHAYOTE SQUASH SOUP
Corn, carrots, chayote, yucca, and vegetable soup. Serve with lemon wedges.
Provided by Melissa
Categories Soups, Stews and Chili Recipes Soup Recipes Vegetable Soup Recipes Squash Soup Recipes
Time 1h40m
Yield 6
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Combine yucca, cabbage, chayote squash, carrots, and corn in a large pot. Add chicken broth and enough water to cover and bring to a boil.
- Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, about 1 hour. Season with salt.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 372.6 calories, Carbohydrate 84.1 g, Cholesterol 3.3 mg, Fat 1.3 g, Fiber 11.3 g, Protein 12.8 g, SaturatedFat 0.2 g, Sodium 740.1 mg, Sugar 14.3 g
GREEN CHILE PESTO WITH ROASTED CHAYOTE SQUASH
Inspired by Rick Bayless's green chile adobo, this beautiful pesto goes great in a roasted chayote side dish, or warm salad. If you can't find chayote, use grilled zucchini or other summer squash, or even something like acorn or delicata squash. You can add 2 limes' worth of juice right to the pesto if you're going to use it all at once as a sauce for something. Otherwise, this keeps longer in the fridge if you omit it and add the juice of 1 lime to the chayote instead.
Provided by Chef John
Categories Side Dish Sauces and Condiments Recipes Sauce Recipes
Time 50m
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Place serrano chiles and garlic in the hot skillet. Cook until blistered and browned on the outside and slightly softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Roast poblano over an open flame until blackened all over; wrap up in a paper towel to let steam.
- Place serranos and garlic in a bowl; let cool until safe to handle. Peel the garlic and remove stems and seeds from serranos and poblano.
- Place cilantro and parsley in a blender. Add peppers, garlic, salt, and olive oil. Pulse on and off, scraping down the sides if necessary, until puree is fairly smooth and slightly coarse. Store pesto in a bowl until ready to use.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
- Halve and quarter chayote lengthwise. Remove seeds and cut into 1-inch pieces. Place on a lined baking sheet. Toss with olive oil and salt.
- Bake in the preheated oven until chayote is just barely fork-tender and lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and add lime juice, 2 to 3 heaping spoonfuls of pesto, and goat cheese. Transfer salad to a serving dish and garnish with pumpkin seeds.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 243.4 calories, Carbohydrate 6.4 g, Cholesterol 4.6 mg, Fat 24.1 g, Fiber 2.3 g, Protein 2.6 g, SaturatedFat 4.3 g, Sodium 519.1 mg, Sugar 1.9 g
CHAYOTE SQUASH
Provided by Amanda Hesser
Categories easy, side dish
Time 20m
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Combine squash and broth in a medium saucepan. Cover, and place over medium-low heat. Simmer until squash is tender, about 12 minutes, adding more broth if pan becomes dry.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in small skillet over low heat. Add onion, and saute until translucent. Remove from heat, and add parsley.
- Add onion mixture and cream to cooked squash and its remaining liquid. Toss to mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Return to medium heat just until cream is bubbling and squash is reheated. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 129, UnsaturatedFat 3 grams, Carbohydrate 8 grams, Fat 11 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Protein 2 grams, SaturatedFat 7 grams, Sodium 404 milligrams, Sugar 3 grams, TransFat 0 grams
CHAYOTE SQUASH WITH CAULIFLOWER AND SHERRY
I decided to try a chayote after seeing them on sale at my grocery store for only $0.50 each. I had no idea what to do with it and decided to cook it with another ingredient I never know what to do with, cauliflower. For a recipe I just made up, everything turned out really great! For more photos, check out this recipe on my blog at http://lambaround.blogspot.com
Provided by LambAround
Categories Lunch/Snacks
Time 29m
Yield 3 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Heat oil and butter in a large pan, preferably a wok with a lid.
- Saute onion.
- Add chayote and cauliflower.
- Sprinkle generously with italian seasoning. Stir.
- Add water and cover pan with lid. Reduce heat.
- Let sit 10 minutes, stir, then let sit another 10 minutes.
- Add curry powder and sherry.
- Cover and let sit another 10 minutes, or until chayote is tender.
- Enjoy!
Tips:
- To retain the chayote squash's crisp texture, avoid overcooking it. You can check for doneness by inserting a fork or toothpick into the squash; it should pierce easily when done.
- When selecting chayote squash, look for firm, blemish-free fruits with smooth, unwrinkled skin. Avoid squash with bruises or soft spots.
- Chayote squash is a versatile vegetable that can be enjoyed in various ways. Try it raw in salads, stir-fries, soups, stews, and casseroles. You can also grill, roast, or pickle chayote squash.
- Chayote squash is a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, and potassium. It is also low in calories and carbohydrates, making it a healthy addition to your diet.
- If you have leftover chayote squash, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Conclusion:
Chayote squash is a delicious and nutritious vegetable that can be enjoyed in various ways. Its mild flavor and crunchy texture make it a versatile addition to many dishes. Whether you are looking for a healthy snack or a hearty meal, chayote squash is sure to please. So next time you are at the grocery store, pick up a few chayote squash and experiment with these delicious recipes!
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