Picadillo de Chayote is a vegetarian hash made of the vegetable chayote, green beans, corn, red pepper, onion, garlic, oil, a little milk, cilantro and "yellow coloring." It is an absolutely delicious common dish in Costa Rica.
Picadillo de Chayote
Picadillo de Chayote
Don and I found a new-to-us meal while in Costa Rica, Picadillo de Chayote. I learned how to make it from our "Mama Tica" who hosted us for two weeks while we were in immersion Spanish school at Intercultura Costa Rica Spanish School. What a fun experience!
The hardest part about making the recipe is dicing all the veggies. It's a simple vegetable stew, or hash, that takes about 20 minutes to cook.
You can dice all the ingredients one day and make the dish another if you'd like. It's excellent alone or as a side dish.
Here's what you need:
Ingredients for Picadillo de Chayote. I used almond milk, but if you are not sensitive to dairy, you can use cow's milk. Not shown, fresh cilantro.
What Is Chayote?
Have you seen chayote in the grocery store, wondered what it was, and how you would cook it? I have. In Harrisonburg, Virginia, we have a lot of Hispanic residents and many of the supermarkets stock foods for this population. Chayote is commonly available.
Fresh, green chayote
I thought it was some kind of summer squash, and I was right. According to Wikipedia:
Chayote, also known as mirliton and choko, is an edible plant belonging to the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. This fruit was first cultivated in the Mesoamericas between southern Mexico and Honduras, with the most genetic diversity available in both Mexico and Guatemala.
When you make this dish, you peel the skin. Be careful, the fruit inside is mighty slippery.
What You Need
For this dish, you need a vegetable peeler, knife, cutting board, measuring cups and spoons, and a good pot. You also need the "yellow coloring," which has some spice in it. Sometimes it's called Seasoning Complete. If I didn't have it available, I would use Annato Oil, which is easy to make, along with some Lawry's Seasoning Salt.
Picadillo de Chayote Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola oil or any light cooking oil
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 cup diced sweet red pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic about 3 large cloves
- 1 medium green chayote squash peeled and diced
- 1 pound fresh green beans sliced across the bean into rounds about one-eighth inch wide
- 1 cup corn kernels
- ¼ cup unflavored unsweetened milk alternative or milk (I used almond milk)
- 1 tablespoon Sazon Complete Seasoning annatto and coriander (This may include chicken bouillon. The package is too small to read. If you want to make this dish vegetarian or vegan, use annatto oil and a little of your favorite seasoning salt.)
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Prepare all the ingredients (dice small) so you are ready to add them as needed.
- Heat the oil over high heat in a medium large pot until the oil is hot.
- Turn the temperature to medium, and add the diced onion and diced red pepper. Stir.
- When the onion and pepper is softened, add the garlic and give it a stir.
- Add the diced chayote, sliced green beans, corn, milk, and seasoning except cilantro. Stir occasionally, cooking this mixture over medium heat until the vegetables are crisp tender. This takes about 20 minutes.
- Add the cilantro and stir.
- Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
Picadillo de Chayote cooks in about 20 minutes.
Recipe Nutrition Information
This recipe is GF, DF, SF, EF, VG, V*
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.
Other Recipes To Try
- Homemade Annato Oil
- Yellow Rice with Raisins
- Yellow Rice and Beans
- How to Make Sticky Rice
- Saffron Scented Risotto
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Picadillo de Chayote. Amazing vegetarian side dish using fresh veggies. #RecipeIdeaShop
*Allergen Key
GF = Gluten free | DF = Dairy free | NF = Nut free | SF = Soy free | EF = Egg free | CF = Corn free | V = Vegetarian | VG = Vegan
Note: If you have serious allergies or sensitivities, to be considered free of these allergens, you need to use products specifically marked "gluten free," etc. There can be cross-contamination in facilities.
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