Festivities are in full swing as El Centro kicked off their first all-virtual Latinx Heritage Month. And for any resident foodies, both on- and off-campus, Sept. 21’s Cultural Recipes event presented the perfect recipe: calabacitas de horno or cheese-stuffed zucchini.

The event was hosted via Instagram Live on El Centro’s page, @elcentro1976, and the recipe is courtesy of Shannon Archibeque-Engle, assistant vice president for strategic initiatives and assessment at Colorado State University. 

According to the CSU website, Archibeque-Engle has led diversity and equity workshops and is committed to creating inclusive learning environments. Archibeque-Engle is not only a staff member at Colorado State University, but she is also a CSU alumnus with a master’s degree in toxicology and a doctorate in education.

“Put your cooking skills to the test, and put together a recipe that involves multiple ingredients rather than just boiled water and noodles.”

During the event, Archibeque-Engle talked about the importance of cooking through generations and its relation to her heritage; she attributed her passion for cooking to preparing meals for her family.

With her mastery in cooking skills from passed-down recipes, Archibeque-Engle prepares that home-cooked meal that we all crave sooner or later. Calabacitas de horno may not be a part of your past, present or current food habits; however, this recipe may allow for a new opportunity to arise.

These eight easy steps for this functional Latinx meal can be completed right in the comfort of your home. Forget the processed food and countless nights of eating ramen — it’s time to expand your palate. Put your cooking skills to the test, and put together a recipe that involves multiple ingredients rather than just boiled water and noodles.

You don’t need too much space to create this masterpiece, but you do need drive, motivation and the desire to cook and try something new. In the end, you can build character and your palate, too. This recipe is stuffed with delicious ingredients that will keep you coming back for seconds.

One may ask about leftovers, and you bet your bottom dollar you can freeze this and, when you’re craving it, pop it in the microwave for a meal or perhaps that midnight snack while studying for an upcoming test.

According to an Instagram message from El Centro, Archibeque-Engle uses the following ingredients for this recipe:

2 medium onions, sliced thin

4 tablespoons butter

Approximately 4 cups grated zucchini squash (if frozen, thaw and drain. If fresh, cook in a small amount of water and drain.) 

2 cups of green chiles (peeled, chopped and roasted)

1 teaspoon salt

1⁄2 teaspoon pepper 

2 eggs, well-beaten

1 12 oz can evaporated milk, undiluted

1 cup grated cheese

First, you’ll want to sauté the onions in the butter in a frying pan. Then, mix the well-drained zucchini, sautéed onions, green chiles, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Next, stir together the eggs and milk and add them to the zucchini mix in the bowl. Put the mixture into a greased 9″ x 13″ pan and bake it at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Finally, once it’s cooked through, sprinkle the cheese on top for the last 10 minutes of baking. After the cheese has melted, remove it from oven and let it sit for a couple of minutes to cool off before serving.

This recipe may be a first of many new foods that you prepare in your dorm, but at least you’re gaining skills when feeding not just your body but also your mind with new ingredients. Enjoy!

Editor’s Note: This recipe was edited for clarity.

Editor’s Note: Due to a publishing error, this article was released before routine edits had been completed. The article is now correct and The Collegian regrets this mistake.

Sierra Grimm can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @CSURam5.