14 chayote recipes

In this recipe, chayote's delicate texture and taste combine with almonds, sugar, brandy, eggs, cream, raisins and sponge cake to make an elegant pudding-like filling for the pale-green shells.

A spicy and scrumptious dish made with chayotes, anaheim chilies, corn kernels and parmesan cheese.

Caribbean-style roast fresh ham rubbed with a garlic, rum, brown sugar, and lime marinade, roasted alongside chayote squash. The citrus-rum crust caramelizes into a sticky, sweet-savory glaze.

Mexican chicken rice soup with shredded chicken, chayote, leeks, and arborio rice in a lime-bright broth finished with epazote. A homestyle pot-of-soup dinner with bones in the broth for flavor.

A whole roasted turkey stuffed with a bold Southwest cornbread dressing loaded with jalapeños, chayote, cilantro, pecans, and sage. Give your holiday bird a Tex-Mex twist that'll have the whole table talking.

Traditional Mexican meatball soup with mint and cilantro in the albondigas, simmered in rich beef broth with chayote squash, carrots, cabbage, leeks, and small pasta.

Hearty South American vegetable soup with tomatillos, black beans, chayote, pattypan squash, corn, and a smoky chipotle kick. A filling, plant-based bowl loaded with Latin spices.

Mirlitons farcis aux crevettes: stuffed chayote squash filled with a shrimp and bechamel filling, topped with cheddar breadcrumbs, and baked golden. A New Orleans Creole classic.

Hot sausage and mirliton casserole is the New Orleans Creole classic: chayote squash baked with Italian sausage, bell peppers, bread cubes, mozzarella, and fontina. A holiday-table staple.

Mirliton casserole with ground beef, onion, bell pepper, and parsley topped with bread crumbs and baked until golden. A classic Louisiana Cajun side dish using chayote squash (mirliton) as the star vegetable.

Chou-chou koot is a South Indian-style squash dish, tender chayote or winter squash cooked with turmeric, then finished with fresh coconut, green chili, and a fragrant tempered seasoning. A simple vegan side.

Hot and sour shrimp soup built on a quick homemade broth simmered from the shrimp shells, with tender chayote, mushrooms, fresh lemon juice for the sour bite, and chili paste for the heat. A bright, light take on the takeout classic.

This dish is best at room temperature, although it is good hot or cold also. I have given just the basic recipe; you can add all kinds of things, like corn, fresh tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, blanched chayote squash, etc.

Caribbean guisado loaded with pumpkin, yucca, chickpeas, and pinto beans, slow-roasted with 16 cloves of garlic and fresh cilantro until the vegetables melt into a thick, fragrant sauce.