It’s a good thing I live in Texas, because I loveeee Mexican food. Is there anything better than enchiladas smothered in awesome sauce and lots of melty cheese? Answer: no.
But then, there are the sides. Ever since doing the Whole30 in the beginning of this year, I’ve been trying to stick to a Paleo(ish) diet. And unfortunately, the traditional rice and beans that so frequently are served with Mexican food do not fit the bill.
I needed a low-carb, veggie based side to serve with Mexican food.
This Roasted Mexican Inspired Zucchini blows away any Spanish rice I’ve ever had. It’s bursting with flavor- spicy, savory, and slightly smoky.
And it’s healthy, low carb, Paleo (if you don’t include the cheese), and a great alternative as a side to traditional rice and beans.
I want to talk about this cotija cheese for a minute, and cheese in general.
The Paleo diet does not allow for grains, legumes, dairy, or refined sugars. This, sadly, means no cheese. That is- if you are strict about it.
But doing the Whole30 taught me to recognize exactly which foods caused me distress- whether it was through indigestion/bloating, weight gain, mood swings, or decreased energy.
I found that the foods that were higher in carbs- grains, sugars, and legumes- affected me much more than dairy.
So while I am trying my hardest to be grain free (for the most part), I am pretty relaxed on the cheese front. I don’t want to imagine my life without cheese. It’s too sad to think about.
So, inspired by Mexican street corn (which, by the way, is absolutely delicious), I sprinkled a moderate helping of cotija cheese on top of this roasted zucchini.
Don’t get me wrong: the zucchini is delicious on its own.
But the salty crumbly farmers cheese crumbled on top of it gives it an extra zing.
If you’ve never had cotija cheese, be prepared for your life to change. It’s like feta but… (dare I say it?)… BETTER. My Greek ancestors are probably rolling in their graves right now.
It’s a bit dryer and harder than feta, which makes it crumble much easier. It’s salty and has a similar simple taste to feta, but the flavor seems more concentrated.
Kind of like feta and parmesan had a baby. It’s inexpensive, lasts forever in the fridge (seriously- like a month or more), and a little goes a long way.
Put it on tacos, put it on veggies, put it in a salad, or eat it in slices while you are waiting for this zucchini to roast (ahem).
So do yourself a favor: next time you make your favorite Mexican meal (if you need a starting place, try these Quick and Easy Black Beans and Rice), make this zucchini to go on the side.
Other low-carb Mexican-Inspired Recipes:
Cotija cheese or not, it will be a delicious complement to whatever you choose to make!
Also check out this Greek Roasted Cauliflower, which is similar – topped with feta cheese, fresh herbs, and lemon juice.
Roasted Mexican Zucchini
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3-4 medium zucchini diced
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 4 oz. cotija cheese crumbled
- juice of 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, mix the diced zucchini, olive oil (2 tablespoons), chili powder (1/2 teaspoon), garlic powder (1/2 teaspoon), cayenne pepper (1/8 teaspoon), and salt/pepper until well coated.
- Spread evenly on baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes, or until zucchini is browned.
- Serve sprinkled with lime juice, cotija cheese, and chopped fresh cilantro.
Video
Notes
- Other ingredients and veggies, such as corn, chickpeas, summer squash, etc. can be added by roasting with the zucchini.
- Make it vegan: omit the cotija cheese or substitute with a vegan-friendly alternative.
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Katharyn
Needing a veggie side for a taco bar menu, I took a bit of a risk and made a scaled up version of this recipe for a homeless group my church hosts in September without trying it first. (Dropped off in foil pans, no contact.) It tastes great and was easy to make! I will make it again at normal size just for home.
(I accidentally multiplied the seasoning by 3, although I’d quadrupled the zucchini/squash. Once I tasted, realized and fixed my error, and added the lime and cilantro, it was perfectly seasoned and the squash flavor still comes through nicely.)
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad this worked out for you at a large batch! It warms my heart to know this recipe was used for such a great cause- thanks so much for taking the time to leave this comment, and glad you liked the recipe!
Tara
Does this re-heat well? I want to make it for a camping trip, but I like to cook in advance and reheat at camp!
Elizabeth Lindemann
It won’t be quite as good reheated, but totally edible and still yummy! Like any roasted veggie, it will get a bit soggy after cooking it. I might suggest reheating just the roasted zucchini and adding the cheese, cilantro, and lime juice just after reheating- this might help make it a little more “fresh” tasting. Hope that helps and have fun camping!
Gretchen
Really good – served with your Mexican pulled chicken and it was a good combo. Quite a few family members think cilantro tastes like soap, so I used fresh oregano instead. (It’s a real thing!) Great swap! Great recipe. Thank you!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it, and glad you found a good swap for the cilantro! That’s such a crazy phenomenon about the soap taste, but that’s OK… more cilantro for me! :-)
Julie P
New favorite way to make zucchini! I added corn and followed the recipe exactly. We loved it!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Cathy
This is the most delicious way I’ve had zucchini yet. My daughter made it one night for a barbecue and it was an instant success. I’ve been making it this way ever since.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks so much! Really glad to hear you liked the recipe!
Sara
This was so easy and absolutely delicious! My family loved it.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks! Glad you and your family liked it :-)
Jeff W
Finally! have another great recipe for zucchini. It was supposed to be a side dish to steak fajitas and ended up being used as a filling along with our first attempt at making our own flour tortillas. We like spicier flavors so I added more chili powder 2tsp, garlic powder 1 tsp, and ground Anaheim Chili 2 tsp. I added a touch more cayenne, but the 1/4 tsp is just right to give a bit of heat. The cojita cheese is a nice touch for texture. I can see adding corn, beans or yellow squash maybe spinach or kale. Most of the other recipes call for tomatoes – I do not care for the combination – so I tried yours this evening. Wow thanks for sharing – the 4 of us loved it.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! I love the idea of adding beans to it- that would be a delicious vegetarian meal or heartier side dish. Thanks for the review!
Giselle
This is very good! Like Cory, I’m always looking for vegetable side dishes to accompany our Mexican favorites. I used one 20-ounce zucchini from my garden and I thought the ratio of zucchini to oil and spices was good. I will make this again!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Cory
Thank you for this recipe! I always struggle with Mexican sides because they are always starchy and I need more veggies! This was delicious. Will be a new staple for us.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Annah
Just wanted to pop by and say this recipe is sooo good!! We usually skip the cheese because I don’t have it on hand. But otherwise I follow it to a t. Honestly I sometimes make this twice a week so easy and so good!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So happy to hear you like it! Thanks so much :-)
Nicole
So delicious!!! This will be my new go to Mexican side dish. I added diced avocado when I tossed it with cilantro and lime juice after roaring. Delicious! Thank you.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oh yummmm I love the idea of adding avocado! So glad you liked it :-)
Peggy
Tasty and beautiful! Directions simple to follow. I mixed in garbanzo beans and red bell pepper with the zucchinni, olive oil, and spices. After baking, I mixed in the lime juice and topped it off with Feta cheese. Yum!
Glad that you mentioned the additional items and substitutes, which went so well together! I wanted a delicious low carb Mexican side dish and I found it! I will most definitely make it again and again. Thanks! :-)
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thank you! So glad you liked it!
Renee
Very good! Glad I found this recipe, plus my husband liked it who isn’t crazy about zucchini. I didn’t use the line or chilantro (because I didn’t have any,)and I used shredded parmesan cheese, because that’s what I had.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you and your husband liked it!
Amy
Can you use fresh garlic instead of garlic powder? If so, how much?
Thanks
Elizabeth Lindemann
Definitely! When I roast vegetables with fresh garlic I like slicing it thinly or slivering it. This definitely leaves a more potent garlicky taste. I’d probably try two cloves for this, but if you like garlic you really can’t go wrong. Check out this roasted broccoli post with garlic and lemon to see how I sliced the garlic for that. Hope that helps! https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/roasted-broccoli/
Manuel
Made this for my partner’s family at Christmas, they all enjoyed it.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you and everyone else liked it!
Kathleen
Is this supposed to be served hot?
Elizabeth Lindemann
I usually serve it hot or at room temperature. That said, I’ve been known to pick at the cold leftovers straight from the fridge, which is also delicious :-)
Curt Baker
Excellent dish! I can tell that it is great as presented. I strayed in two ways. First, we tend to like things a bit spicier, so I doubled the spices. Second, our market (sadly) was out of cotija cheese, so I substituted feta instead. This is a really good recipe.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Feta is a worthy substitute.
Robin
Perfect side dish for Mexican food. We all loved it.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks! Glad you liked it :-)
RSD
I seasoned by eye sight, but this was great! Served w brown rice and cubed, sautéed trader joe’s carne asada beef. Easy and healthy dinner w lots of left overs.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Sounds like a delicious meal :-)
Sarah
I made this last night and added frozen corn as suggested and it was really good. I greatly underestimated the amount of salt I should have added, but that was easy enough to fix at the end. It was a great healthy side dish for taco night at my place. Thanks!
Eleanor
Made this last night with tacos! It was DELICIOUS! I used feta cheese and added a bag of frozen corn to it! Every person in my family loved it! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Yum, love the idea of adding frozen corn! So glad you and your family liked it!