Southwest Sauteed Mixed Vegetables

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.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Southwestern

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 12

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 150kcal

Author Lea Ann Brown

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

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.
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