Homemade Locro
I have finally accomplished something I have been wanting to do for months—maybe years?! I finally was able to perfectly recreate one of my favorite dishes! Unfortunately, this is an example of one of those dishes that you are never able to get the recipe for, as the person with the secret to making it either forgets or doesn’t have it written down. So, despite only being left with only a vague list of ingredients, without any real amounts attached to any of them, I was able to do this dish justice. I was determined, and luckily, successful. And, of course, I am here to share it with each and everyone of you!
Honestly, homemade locro probably means nothing to most of you (however, if it does, please don’t be offended). Even if you sit in front of the TV watching Iron Chef each week or obsessively look through food magazines or websites, you probably have never heard of it. It actually is originally an Ecuadorian (Peruvian/Argentinian—depending on who you ask) dish, which comprises of potato and cheese. The rest of the ingredients get a little fuzzy, some including a type of meat and various types of vegetables.
This version definitely falls under the same category, but is meat-free and is very much one of those perfect comfort foods during the winter months. It is incredibly straight-forward and makes excellent leftovers—of which I have been surviving on for lunches for days now. You might just want to buy two humungous butternut squashes so that you can have said leftovers, which is exactly what I did. However, that also entails chopping and peeling them all up and, I have to admit, that is not the most fun task ever (one of my major fears). One simple solution is to buy pre-chopped squash, but it is a lot more expensive and the freshness is questionable. For advice on how to pick the freshest squash, read this post.
I served mine with a side of sautéed kale and red quinoa cooked in chicken broth for some added protein. The resulting plate was full of color and charm! Enjoy.
Perfect Locro
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 1 fresh plum tomato, chopped (or 1 tablespoon tomato paste)
- 3 lb whole butternut squash, stemmed, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 4-5 ounces feta cheese, crumbled or cut into small cubes
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions (and a generous pinch of salt and pepper) and sauté until softened and translucent in color. Add the garlic and saute for an additional 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add frozen peas, corn, and tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the chopped butternut squash and reduce heat to low.
- Cover the pot and let cook for 20-30 minutes, until squash has become soft and slightly chunky. If necessary, you can add a splash of water or chicken broth as it is cooking.
- Five to ten minutes before serving, add feta cheese and gently stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 619 Total Fat: 38g Saturated Fat: 22g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 13g Cholesterol: 126mg Sodium: 1476mg Carbohydrates: 52g Fiber: 13g Sugar: 15g Protein: 25g
See? It couldn’t be more simple than that. Enjoy with a side of quinoa or simply by itself in a big bowl. You’ll be heading back to the supermarket for more butternut squash before you know it. Or coming up with new spots in the refrigerator to hide the leftovers from fellow family members.
This looks incredible! Something about the combination of ingredients really appeals to me. Thanks. And I’m new to your blog – so glad I found it! Have a great week.
That sounds amazing 🙂 I would never have guessed all of that was inside!
It is one of my favorite dishes, and I am so thrilled that I can now make it whenever I want. So simple! 🙂
Thanks Tricia! The combination of squash and feta is so good, I’ve made quesadillas with roasted butternut squash/feta and it was delicious too. Let me know if you try it and thanks for visiting 🙂
~Laura
I’ve never even heard of locro before! You are so dang creative.
I found your blog through Emily’s (www.dailygarnish.com) blog. This dish looks delicious and includes so many things that I love – butternut, quinoa, feta, corn, peas. Mmm so many good things! Thank you for sharing. Looking forward to reading more, you are in my google reader hehe.
Thanks so much for saying hi. It is one of my favorite dishes and also combines some of my favorite flavors. Let me know if you try it out! And thank you so much, that means a lot, hope you like what you see.
<3 Laura
[…] #2: BUtternut Squash Locro […]
I am so glad you figured this out and wrote it down! I have been wishing I could make this for a while. Props.
I bought 4 lbs pre-cut butternut squash, and (now that I’m making this), this seems like way too much squash. Should I be using the equivalent of a 3-4 lb squash, so maybe only 2 lbs pre-cut? I’ve cooked it for 25 minutes on low, and all the squash is still hard. Thanks!
Hi Anna, thanks for your question! Yes – that would definitely be more squash than I originally intended for in this recipe as there is quite a bit of waste (between the seeds, stem, and peel) when you buy/prep a whole butternut squash. Was the pre-cut squash larger in size? Or was it a bit drier? I’ve found that pre-cut squash tends to be drier and I don’t like cooking with it as much for this reason, as the texture never seems to work out the same.
If the squash is still hard, add about a 1/2 cup water – every squash is different, but it will help the squash cook if you add more moisture to the pan. The moisture, steaming, and slow simmering will help it soften. I also must admit that this recipe is one of the oldest on the site, so I will try to test it again in the next few weeks and see if I can add further clarification/tips. Hope this helps!
Thanks, Laura! I just kept it simmering on low an extra 20 minutes while I was cooking something else, without adding extra water, and the squash softened up nicely. I was afraid it would taste too bland because I had used so much squash, but it actually still tasted really good. Though I do think next time if I use pre-cut squash (which, I probably will because I’m lazy…) I will only use 2 lbs. Thanks for this recipe, I really like it!