Homemade Locro
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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. This can happen when it’s a secret or has just never happened to have been written down.
Locro is an Ecuadorian (or Peruvian and Argentinian, depending on who you ask) dish which comprises of potato and cheese. Some include meat and various types of vegetables. This version of the Ecuadorian vegetarian dish is made with butternut squash, peas, tomatoes, corn, and feta cheese.
Comfort vegetarian food during the winter months. It is incredibly straight-forward to make and makes excellent leftovers. Enjoy with a side of quinoa or simply by itself in a big bowl.
Butternut Squash Locro
Homemade locro. This version of the Ecuadorian vegetarian dish is made with butternut squash, peas, tomatoes, corn, and feta cheese.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion finely chopped
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ cup frozen peas
- ½ cup frozen corn kernels
- 1 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 to 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 the feta cheese and gently stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 619kcal, Carbohydrates: 52g, Protein: 25g, Fat: 38g, Saturated Fat: 22g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 126mg, Sodium: 1476mg, Fiber: 13g, Sugar: 15g
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11 Comments on “Homemade Locro”
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!
I am so glad you figured this out and wrote it down! I have been wishing I could make this for a while. Props.
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
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.
I’ve never even heard of locro before! You are so dang creative.
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
It is one of my favorite dishes, and I am so thrilled that I can now make it whenever I want. So simple! 🙂
That sounds amazing 🙂 I would never have guessed all of that was inside!
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.