Smoky peppers, sweet corn, tender zucchini, and a hot skillet. That's really all you need for a Southwestern vegetable side dish that tastes way bigger than the effort it takes. This recipe for Sauteed Mixed Vegetables is fresh, healthy and with just enough “just right spicy” smoky heat.
Southwest Flavor Profile Explained
What makes these Sauteed Mixed Vegetables Southwestern? This recipe includes vibrant vegetables native to or featured in New Mexico cuisine. In this case, sweet corn, zucchini and bell peppers make up the mix. Seasoned simply with New Mexico red chile powder, Chimayo preferred. And can be topped with either New Mexico Red Chile Sauce or Green Chile Sauce.
I recently became obsessed with sauteed mixed vegetables during a stay at a lovely hotel in Santa Fe New Mexico. Their daily breakfast buffet, which has now inspired my new breakfast routine, included a large pan of beautiful sauteed veggies alongside a big pan of Pinto Beans. Offered with a flour or corn tortilla, scrambled eggs and I was in breakfast heaven.
I started making versions of this recipe years ago after culinary school when I got mildly obsessed with learning how restaurants keep vegetables crisp-tender instead of limp and watery. The answer is simple really. Don’t be afraid of heat, use a heavy skillet and your zucchini won’t collapse, the peppers will carry that sweet roasted flavor and you’ll have a skillet of crisp fried, colorful veggies.
Why This Recipe Is So Appealing
- Ready in less than 30 minutes, and that includes the chopping. Fast enough for a weeknight side.
- One skillet means easy cleanup.
- Versatile: It’s a great dinner side dish that goes with tacos, grilled chicken, burgers, steak, stacked enchiladas … basically anything rustic and smoky.
- Flavor: Fresh and bold and colorful.
- Meal Prep: I’m not kidding when I say I have these for breakfast. I make a batch on Sunday and reheat in the microwave. My plate consists of a scoop of these veggies, some beans and a scrambled egg. A good dose of healthy veggies, and two servings of protein and I’m not hungry for hours. I call that healthy.
Key Ingredients
- Southwest themed vegetables: If you’re familiar with the Three Sisters, which refers to the three main ingredient agricultural crops of the Indigenous people of North America. Corn, beans and squash. I’m loosely keeping with that theme by using squash and corn. Use any variety of squash here: zucchini, yellow squash, summer squash and if you can find it, Calabacita squash.
- Peppers: I’m following suit with how the restaurant in New Mexico served this dish and using green and red bell peppers. A poblano pepper would also work nicely here.
- Onion: A sweet onion seems to fall naturally in place to complete the dish.
- Seasoning: Keep it simple with salt, pepper and New Mexico Red Chile Powder, preferably Chimayo Chile Powder. Or try my recipe for Southwest Spice Blend.
Optional Add-ins
I like to keep this recipe just as it is, but here are some ideas for ingredient add-ins.
- Roasted and chopped Hatch green chile peppers.
- A cup of black beans or pinto beans. Canned would be very easy here, drained and rinsed. Add these when you add the zucchini and corn.
- Jalapeno Peppers: Kick the the heat by adding chopped or sliced jalapeno peppers. Add these when you add the peppers and onions.
- Garnishes: Once plated, add chopped avocado and some Mexican crumbling cheese like Cotija.
Step by Step Instructions
How To Saute Vegetables Without Getting Mushy
- Step 1: HEAT – Add the tough vegetables first: Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and once oil is shimmering add the tough vegetables first. Onion and bell peppers. Cook for about 7 minutes, stirring frequently. Once I see the onions starting to get some caramelization, I proceed with the recipe.
- Step 2: LAYER. Turn the heat up a couple notches . Corn and zucchini will release some moisture, so adding a bit more heat will help cook that away. Add the zucchini and thawed corn. Cook, stirring frequently until zucchini is starting to look like it’s sweating. That means it’s starting to soften. Don’t overcook, as the zucchini will soften quickly. Frozen corn is already cooked, so it’s a low maintenance. It will cook easily during this process and turn out piping hot.
- Step 3: Add Salt At The End: Wait to season until the end. Adding salt too early will draw more moisture out of the vegetables. Season the vegetables with salt, pepper and New Mexico red chile powder.
- Step 4: Stir it all together and let it cook and stir for about two more minutes. Completing this step will bring out the flavor and heat of the chile powder. Remove from heat and serve immediately.
Best Skillet For Sauteed Vegetables
Cast iron wins here. You get deeper browning and those little blistered spots on the corn and peppers that taste almost grilled.
Avoid a non-stick pan. They’re notorious for not generating enough heat to properly sear, whether it be meats or veggies. Save non-stick pans to cook seafood.
Tips For Success
- Knife Skills: Practice those knife skills. Uniform cuts result in uniform cooking and also pride in skill set. And remember, larger chunks hold texture better.
- Oil: Use a high smoke point oil. Good examples of this are canola oil, vegetable oil or avocado oil. Olive oil is not a high smoke point oil and may burn if you get the pan too hot.
- Salt: Salt near the end of cooking to keep the vegetables nice and crisp. Salt draws moisture out and salting too early may result in shriveled soggy vegetables.
Colorado Sweet Corn
I make this recipe year round using frozen corn, but when Colorado Sweet Corn starts hitting out farmer’s markets, it simply turns this dish from great to amazing. Peak-season Colorado corn gets sweeter as it cooks and picks up little caramelized edges in the skillet that taste ridiculously good
Sweet corn is a healthy vegetable in many ways, but it is a starch. If you’re watching your blood sugar, substitute small chopped carrot.
What To Serve Them With
- Breakfast: Since this dish was introduced to me as a breakfast entree, this is the meal of choice for me. Alongside a scrambled eggs or Southwest Egg Bites, it’s a healthy breakfast.
- Dinner Side Dish: Mixed vegetables make an excellent side dish for any rustic style Southwestern themed main course. Try serving them with Flank Steak With Chimichurri. Or Pork Tenderloin Tacos with Chile Guajillo Sauce. Mexican Grilled Chicken is a good choice, as well as a spicy burger option like my recipe for Jalapeno Steak Sauce Burgers.
Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerator: Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in a sealed contained for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: I don’t recommend freezing. The freezer will compromise the crispness of the vegetables.
- Reheating: I suggest using the microwave. Reheat individual servings in 15 second increments.
FAQ’s
Yes and no. The only frozen vegetable I suggest for this recipe is frozen corn. It’s a sturdy vegetable and stays crisp when fried. The only frozen onions and peppers I’ve found are chopped too small and won’t work for this recipe.
Yes. And I do almost weekly. Once cooked, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat individual servings in the microwave in 15 second increments until just warm enough to eat. Be careful, the microwave can most certainly overcook quickly.
You can, but I think the skillet method is easier. Place the vegetables on a sheet pan and drizzle with oil. Cook at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes.. Add corn and zucchini and cook for another 10 – 15 minutes.
Explore More Southwestern Side Dish Recipes
And if you’re curious about learning more about Southwestern cooking, check out my category for Mexican and Southwest Recipes. You’ll find lots of recipe ideas to spice up your meal plan. Including one of the most popular on my site for this Mexican Casserole with Ground Beef and Corn Tortillas. Layered with corn tortillas, and lots of cheese, it’s a classic recipe to start with.
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Southwest Sauteed Mixed Vegetables
Equipment
- 1 Heavy Skillet Large. A cast iron works well here.
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons Neutral oil Canola, avocado or peanut oil work well here
- 1 medium Sweet onion cut into wedges
- 1 Red Bell Pepper cut into square planks
- 1 Green Bell Pepper cut into square planks
- 1 medium Zucchini cut into wedges
- 12 ounces Frozen sweet corn room temperature
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon New Mexico Red Chile Powder Preferably Chimayo
Instructions
- Remove the frozen corn from the freezer 30 minutes in advance of starting this recipe.
- To Cut The Vegetables: Cut the ends off the onion, cut it in half vertically, remove the tough outer layer and skin, then cut into wedges.
- Cut both ends off the bell peppers. Cut it in half, and lay the two pieces skin side down. Remove the core and any veins, and cut into square planks.
- Cut the ends off the zucchini, then cut in half lengthwise. Then cut into triangle shaped wedges.
- Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium high heat. Once oil is shimmering, add the bell peppers and onions. Cook, stirring frequently for 6 minutes, or until you see some blistering on the vegetables.
- Raise the heat a bit and add the zucchini and corn and cook for 4 more minutes, stirring frequently.
- Season with salt, pepper and red chile powder. Cook, stirring for a couple more minutes to combine seasonings and vegetables.
Notes
- Knife Skills: Practice those knife skills. Uniform cuts result in uniform cooking and also pride in skill set. And remember, larger chunks hold texture better.
- Oil: Use a high smoke point oil. Good examples of this are canola oil, vegetable oil or avocado oil. Olive oil is not a high smoke point oil and may burn if you get the pan too hot.
- Salt: Salt near the end of cooking to keep the vegetables nice and crisp. Salt draws moisture out and salting too early may result in shriveled soggy vegetables.
- Best Skillet: Use a heavy bottomed skillet. A cast iron skillet works very well here. Avoid a non-stick pan. They’re notorious for not generating enough heat to properly sear, whether it be meats or veggies. Save non-stick pans to cook seafood.
Nutrition
Southwest Sauteed Mixed Vegetables … It’s What’s For A Side Dish
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