Zucchini Tostadas with Requesón: A 20-Minute Grito Night Starter

Every September the mesa fills up with the heavy hitters — pozole, chiles en nogada, the whole cast. This is the dish that goes before all that: light, fast, and so on-theme it hurts. Calabacitas a la mexicana gets its name from the colors of the flag — green zucchini, white onion, red tomato — and when you pile them warm over a crunchy tostada spread with cool, fresh requesón, you get the crunch, the cream and the sabor in one bite.

Ten minutes of chopping, ten minutes at the stove, and a drizzle of salsa verde to finish. Make a big batch of the calabacitas and let everyone build their own; it's the kind of botana that disappears before the Grito even starts.

Ingredients

• 2 tender zucchinis (calabacitas), diced small
• 1 ripe tomato and ¼ white onion, diced — or take the shortcut: swap the fresh tomato for half a can of Del Fuerte Ground Tomatoes with Chipotle and get a smoky kick for free
• 1 cup fresh requesón (ricotta works in a pinch)
• 4 crunchy corn tostadas — Ole Corn Tostadas stay crisp under all that topping
• A touch of oil and salt
• Your favorite salsa — we finish these with Herdez Salsa Verde

How to Make It

Step 1 — Dice everything small

Cut the calabacitas, tomato and onion into small, even cubes — about the size of a chickpea. Small dice cooks fast and sits neatly on the tostada instead of rolling off onto your shirt.

Step 2 — Sweat the onion

Heat a little oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the cebolla until it turns translucent, about 2 minutes. No color yet — you want sweet, not browned.

Step 3 — Add the calabacitas and jitomate

Add the zucchini and tomato, season with a pinch of salt, and cook over medium heat for 6–8 minutes, stirring now and then. Stop while the zucchini is still a little crisp — mushy calabacitas are a sad thing.

Step 4 — Spread the requesón

Spread a generous, even layer of requesón over each tostada de maíz, all the way to the edge. It's the glue and the cool contrast, so don't be shy.

Step 5 — Pile on the calabacitas

Top each tostada with a big spoonful of the warm, savory calabacitas a la mexicana. Do this right before serving so the tostada stays crunchy.

Step 6 — Salsa and serve

Drizzle your favorite salsa over the top for a bright, tangy finish, add a few cilantro leaves if you have them, and serve immediately. ¡Provecho!

Green, white and red, ready in twenty minutes, and the whole mesa gets one before the pozole even hits the table. The tostadas, the salsa verde and the chipotle tomatoes are all in the shop — one skillet and you're there. 🌮

Taste the Fiesta!