Torta de Calabacitas

A crunchy tortilla exterior encasing a silky vegetarian filling, held together with chili-flecked melted cheese describes the summer treat of Torta de Calabacitas. The torta is great fare for a light dinner and puts a dent in the zucchini drawer, too.

Since the Unofficial Zucchini Festival has hit our house, we’ve been finding ways to incorporate our summer squash abundance into good things to eat. One answer is Torta de Calabacitas, which brings together layers of Mexican-inspired zucchini filling, flour tortillas, and cheese. It’s a relative of the quesadilla, but a little more fancy.

I found this recipe years ago in the April 1992 issue of Bon Appétit. Over time I’ve made a few changes—subbing Pepper Jack cheese for the original’s combination of Monterey Jack and chopped jalapeños. I also reduced the amount of cheese by a quarter and offer fresh cilantro as an edible garnish to the final dish.

The Filling is First

An important part of the magic of this torta is the silky zucchini filling. It starts with sautéing onions slowly, cooking them until they are sweet and soft. Garlic and cumin go in with the onions before the grated zucchini. Cooking this mixture over steady medium heat helps to reduce the liquid in the zucchini and convert the squash into a flavor-packed filling.

Building the Torta

This torta uses 3 large flour tortillas to build its structure. Pepper Jack cheese sits on top of and below each zucchini layer.  It adds a zesty note while holding the whole thing together.

Sliding the torta into the same wide skillet that cooked the zucchini mixture is easy enough.

Taking it out and flipping it to cook the second side is a bit more risky, but using a two plate flipping technique worked fine for me.

After the torta has rested on a serving platter for a few minutes, it’s ready to be cut into wedges.

Each bite offers a bit of crunch from the golden tortillas and a savory taste of the cheesy, spiced zucchini mixture.

Adding a few leaves of cilantro to the wedges brings a fresh, green note to the torta.

This recipe can be adapted lots of ways–making simple quesadillas with the filling or changing the size of tortillas used.  Feel free to substitute any type of summer squash for the zucchini.  However it arrives at your table, it’s a fun interpretation of a beloved Mexican side dish. And it takes a few more zucchini from your vegetable drawer. Win, win.

Torta de Calabacitas

Dawn Dobie

A fun Mexican-inspired spin on summer squash quesadillas, this torta offers layers of spiced zucchini mixture and Pepper Jack cheese with a crunchy exterior.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 5 tablespoons butter divided (see below)
• 1 large white onion chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 large garlic cloves minced
• 2-3 medium to large zucchini aobut 1 1/4 pounds ends trimmed and grated
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 11- inch flour tortillas
• 8 ounces Pepper Jack cheese grated (about 3 cups)
• Fresh cilantro for garnish --optional
• Vegetable oil for oiling the plates used in moving the torta around

Instructions

 

• Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large wide (12-inch) skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cook for about 7-10 minutes, until tender and translucent. Add the garlic and ground cumin and cook an additional minute, stirring often.
• Add the zucchini and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and some freshly ground pepper, and sauté until it is tender and most liquid has disappeared, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool.
• Divide the grated cheese into four equal piles.
• Place one tortilla on an oiled plate. Sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese evenly over the surface of the tortilla. Dollop small amounts of 1/2 of the zucchini mixture over the cheese, then sprinkle another 1/4 of the cheese over that. Top with a second tortilla and repeat the layering. Top with the last tortilla and press gently to compress the whole stack a bit.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat in the now empty skillet. Slide torta into skillet. Cover and cook until the bottom is golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Using a spatula and the plate, slide the torta out of the skillet and onto the plate. Use a second oiled plate to invert the torta.
• Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the skillet and slide the uncooked side of the torta in. Cook until the bottom is golden brown, 5-8 minutes.
• Carefully transfer cooked torta to a large platter and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

Notes

The torta is best served after its short resting time. If you wish to serve the torta at cool room temperature, allow it to cool on a rack. That will keep the bottom from becoming soggy. The outer tortillas will lose some of their crunch, but it will still be tasty.

Adapted from a recipe in Bon Appétit (April 1992)