Calabasita con Tomate

Why I Love This Recipe
Growing up our mother and grandmother made a traditional dish called Calabasita’s using a round squash (in the zucchini family) and corn. This is another use for the much loved calabasita!
Submitted by: "Diane Morrell"
Ingredients You'll Need
2 calabasita’s (round squash often called Mexican squash or Roundini) about the size of a softball, cut into bite size pieces. If they are large I seed them.
1 small onion diced
Olive oil
1 clove garlic smashed
2 large or 3 medium fresh tomatoes diced small (and all the juice)
1 c rice
Directions
In a large frying pan (preferably flat bottomed) sauté the calabasita, onion and garlic on medium to high heat until the calabasita is browned (but not mushy). Add the tomatoes (put them in a measuring cup to see if you have 2 cups with juice) then add the rice. If you don’t have 2 cups add chicken broth. Cover and simmer on low until the rice is cooked, about 20 minutes.
Options – add ½ lb of ground meat during the browning step. My mother was raised in the southwest; her and her mother did not use cumin or oregano as a staple but could be added to taste.