Spicy Baked Stuffed Chayote - Keto Low Carb Vegetarian Recipes (2024)

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Gluten Free

Nut Free

Egg Free

Low Carb

Vegetarian

Keto

Spicy baked stuffed chayote can be a light and healthy lunch or a great side dish. Crack open the chayote and cook inside the shell before scooping out the cooked flesh. Top the shells with cheese and baked until the cheese is melted.

Spicy Baked Stuffed Chayote - Keto Low Carb Vegetarian Recipes (1)

Chayote is a popular vegetable in Saint Lucia and I've been making sweet and savoury low carb and gluten-free recipes with it when it's in season. For this tasty vegetarian recipe, it's stuffed and baked which is a popular way of serving this in our neighboring island, Martinique.

Jump to:
  • What is Chayote?
  • Is Chayote Low Carb?
  • Ingredients
  • How to make keto stuffed chayote
  • Recipe Tips
  • Variations
  • Storage
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • More stuffed keto vegetarian recipes
  • Spicy Baked Stuffed Chayote

What is Chayote?

Chayotes are popular in Mexican, Caribbean and South American kitchens. In Saint Lucia and Martinique, they are also called Christophine . Chayote is a fruit in the same family as cucumbers and squash but is often prepared like a vegetable.

Although chayote belongs to the gourd family, it is not bitter. In fact, chayote is only mildly flavored and has a very nice aroma.

Is Chayote Low Carb?

Chayote is a great low carb vegetable and has just 2.8g net carbohydrates per 100g serving. A cup of chayote is about 160 grams. In addition to being low in carbs, chayote is low in calories, fat and full of nutrients. High in fiber, vitamin C and full of antioxidants it's a great vegetable for a low carb diet.

Ingredients

Play around with the spices or add hot sauce!

Spicy Baked Stuffed Chayote - Keto Low Carb Vegetarian Recipes (2)
  • Chayote - We use green chayotes (they can also be pale in colour)
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Cheddar cheese
  • Turmeric
  • Ginger
  • Chili
  • Salt & Pepper

See recipe card for quantities.

How to make keto stuffed chayote

Chayote is cooked twice in this easy keto vegetarian recipe. It needs to be boiled or even steamed first to soften the flesh. Then, much like a double baked potato, the filling is scooped out, seasons, stuffed back in and baked.

Spicy Baked Stuffed Chayote - Keto Low Carb Vegetarian Recipes (3)

Slice Chayote in half lengthways and remove the central seeds.

Spicy Baked Stuffed Chayote - Keto Low Carb Vegetarian Recipes (4)

Boil and simmer the chayote for 20 minutes.

Spicy Baked Stuffed Chayote - Keto Low Carb Vegetarian Recipes (8)

Fry the chopped onion.

Spicy Baked Stuffed Chayote - Keto Low Carb Vegetarian Recipes (9)

Add the chopped chayote.

Spicy Baked Stuffed Chayote - Keto Low Carb Vegetarian Recipes (10)

Stuff the chayote skins with the filling, top with grated cheese and bake.

Recipe Tips

Increase the volume of the chili powder for extra heat.

Swap the Cheddar cheese with Mozzarella .

Spicy Baked Stuffed Chayote - Keto Low Carb Vegetarian Recipes (11)

Variations

We added spices to the chayote filling which can be varied to your own taste. A few filling flavour suggestions are.

  • Chopped jalapenos
  • Curry powder
  • Chopped chayote peppers
  • Mix in some of our walnut mushroom taco meat
  • Chopped bell pepper and onion

Storage

The stuffed chayote squash can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator before baking. If you have any baked chayote left over, store them in a sealed container in the fridge. They should last 2 - 3 days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you make this vegan?

This stuffed chayote recipe is easy to make vegan by omitting the cheese and either using a vegan cheese or leave it out.

Can this be frozen?

Once baked, and cooled the stuffed chayotes can be frozen. Store them in zip locked bags or an air tight container. They will last up to 2 months in the freezer.
Defrost them in the refrigerator.

Spicy Baked Stuffed Chayote - Keto Low Carb Vegetarian Recipes (12)

More stuffed keto vegetarian recipes

Stuffed Whole Roasted Celeriac

Greek Stuffed Eggplant

Halloumi Stuffed Peppers

Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

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Spicy Baked Stuffed Chayote

This low carb spicy stuffed chayote is a delicious vegetarian dish that can be served as a light lunch or even a side dish.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Main Course

Cuisine Caribbean, Low carb, Vegetarian

Servings 2 servings

Calories 213 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 medium chayote, green
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ medium onion finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • ¼ teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon ginger, ground
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

Topping

  • ½ cup Cheddar cheese grated

Instructions

  • Slice the chayote in half lengthways and remove the center seed.

  • Place the chayote halves in a saucepan of simmering water and cook for 20 minutes until the chayote is soft and tender.

  • Remove the chayotes from the saucepan, drain and allow to cool slightly so you can handle them.

  • Remove the insides, leaving a small skin, with a spoon and chop.

  • In a small skillet, heat the olive oil on a medium heat and add the onion. Cook for 5-8 minutes until soft.

  • Add the minced garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.

  • Stir in the spices and cook for 1 minute.

  • Add the cooked chayote and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring to ensure that all the ingredients are mixed well.

  • Preheat the oven to 200C/400F degrees.

  • Spoon the spicy chayote mixture into the chayote shells and spread evenly.

  • Sprinkle the cheese over the top of the filled chayotes and place them in a baking dish.

  • Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cheese is golden.

Notes

One serving is a chayote half.

The net carbs will be the total carb count minus the fibre count. Carb count excludes sugar alcohols.

Any nutritional analysis on the website is based on an estimate, calculated by Spoonacular from the individual ingredients in each recipe. Variations may occur for various reasons, including product availability and food preparation. We make no representation or warranty of the accuracy of this information.

YOUR OWN NOTES

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Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 213kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 8gFat: 17gFiber: 2g

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.

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Spicy Baked Stuffed Chayote - Keto Low Carb Vegetarian Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Is chayote good for a low carb diet? ›

Chayote is relatively low in carbohydrates and relatively high in fiber, a nutritional combination that can help you maintain healthy blood sugar levels. High levels of fiber in chayote make it so that you feel fuller after eating less.

How many carbs are in chayote on keto? ›

Chayote, Fruit, Raw (1 cup, (1 in. pieces)) contains 6g total carbs, 3.7g net carbs, 0.2g fat, 1.1g protein, and 25 calories.

What is the English name for chayote vegetables? ›

The chayote goes by many names: “custard marrow,” “vegetable pear” and “mirliton” — the latter used extensively in Louisiana. Others call it “christophine,” “choko,” “iskut,” “mango squash,” “xuxu” and “machuchu.”

What is chayote used for? ›

It promotes heart health, prevents cancer, lowers blood pressure, regulates blood sugar, prevents fat accumulation in the liver, fights inflammation, and slows the ageing process. However, you should consult a doctor before utilising chayote benefits for high blood pressure and overall health.

Does chayote spike blood sugar? ›

Chayote squash is low in total carbs and high in soluble fiber, which may help regulate blood sugar levels ( 7 ). Soluble fiber slows down your digestion and absorption of carbs, which reduces your blood sugar response after eating ( 8 ). Chayote may also improve blood sugar control by affecting insulin.

Is it okay to eat chayote every day? ›

Chayote is a mild-tasting squash with a crisp texture that's low in calories yet high in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and protective plant compounds. Regularly consuming chayote may provide several health benefits, from improving the body's antioxidant defenses to lowering blood pressure and blood sugar levels.

Can you eat unlimited vegetables on keto? ›

Eating Vegetables on the Keto Diet

To eat vegetables in a keto diet, limit those that contain a lot of carbs, like potatoes, corn, and peas. 4 Instead, up your intake of non-starchy vegetables.

How many carbs bump you out of ketosis? ›

Eating more than 50 grams of carbs may disrupt ketosis.

With keto diets, however, carb restrictions vary from person to person. Some people can eat more and still stay in ketosis, whereas others may need to restrict their carb intake more in order to stay in ketosis.

Can diabetics eat chayote? ›

The lower calorie and carb content makes it an easy addition into your meal plan for diabetes. In addition, the higher fiber can even support healthy weight loss efforts if you need to lose weight to help control your diabetes. On top of all of that, chayote might even help you better control your blood sugar.

What is the nickname for chayote? ›

also known as the custard marrow, chow-chow, alligator pear, sayote, vegetable pear, mirliton, chistophone. The chayote is popular member of the gourd family that is eaten throughout the world, though it is not as well known in the United States.

What is the Caribbean name for chayote? ›

In Eastern Caribbean English the fruit, used as a vegetable, is known as christophene. In Jamaica and other places in the western Caribbean it is known as chocho. The fruit is called tayota in the Dominican Republic.

Can chayote be eaten raw? ›

Chayote can be eaten raw, but one of the best things about chayote is its dense flesh that holds its shape when cooked. That firm texture means chayote can be cooked any way you can think of, and can stand in for almost any vegetable.

What is the Indian name for chayote? ›

Chayote is known by different name in Indian regional languages such as Seema vankaya or Bengaluru vankaaya (in Telugu), Chocho or Chow Chow or Bengaluru katharikkai (in Tamil) etc.

Is chayote allowed on keto diet? ›

Chaoyte fruit has a mild flavor, often described as a cross between a cucumber and a potato. This blandness makes it the perfect blank canvas to serve as a foundation for any number of Paleo, low carb, ketogenic, or AIP (autoimmune protocol) substitutes for starchy side dishes.

Is chayote good for weight loss? ›

Chayote may help prevent obesity.

Chayote squash is a low-calorie food, and this alone makes it a good choice for snacking or eating if you're watching your weight. In addition, there is some evidence the shoots of the chayote plant may help reduce fat tissue and regulate fat content around the liver.

What vegetables can I eat on a no carb diet? ›

Nuts and seeds (those low in net carbs): almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pistachios, cashews. Non-starchy vegetables (those low in net carbs): broccoli, zucchini, bell peppers, cauliflower, leafy greens, rutabaga, turnips, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, mushrooms.

What vegetable has the lowest carbs? ›

List of the best low carb vegetables
  • Iceberg lettuce. Perhaps one of the most popular — though least nutritious — vegetables, iceberg lettuce has only 2.97 g of carbohydrate per 100 g. ...
  • White mushrooms. Mushrooms contain only 3.26 g of carbs per 100 g. ...
  • Spinach. ...
  • Broccoli. ...
  • Zucchini. ...
  • Cauliflower. ...
  • Asparagus. ...
  • Radishes.

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