Mexican Espagueti Blanco | Espagueti a la Crema (Vegan)
Espagueti blanco, espagueti a la crema or espagueti en crema. Whichever name you know this Mexican white spaghetti by, we can all agree that it’s one of the most delicious cream pasta dishes. I’m so happy to share my veganized easy spagueti blanco recipe!
Espagueti Blanco
This creamy white sauce Mexican spaghetti is a classic and it’s an easy meal made with easy to find, simple ingredients.
This pasta dish is known by so many different names. For example, espagueti blanco, espagueti a la crema, espagueti en crema or espagueti blanco con jamon.
Blanco means white in Spanish, and it of course is referring to the white cream sauce it’s made with.
Pasta en Crema or Espagueti a la Crema
This pasta is traditionally made using spaghetti pasta, Mexican crema, spices, ham and topped with crumbly cotija cheese or queso fresco.
You can serve it as a side dish or as a main dish for lunch or for dinner.
It’s also a particularly popular side dish for gatherings when you need to feed a large crowd of people: like birthday parties, weddings, Christmas, and New Years Eve.
In the US, Mexican immigrants also enjoy it on Thanksgiving Day.
More Mexican Pasta Dishes
Mexican Comfort Food
Isn’t pasta pretty much comfort food anywhere you live? Or maybe it’s just me.
But give me a plate of pasta and it’s instant comfort food to me.
Besides this dish being incredibly delicious and simple to cook, it’s also a budget friendly meal to make.
Is Espagueti con Crema Vegan
The traditional recipe is not vegan. It’s due to the fact that it uses dairy crema, dairy cheese and pork-based ham.
But don’t worry because my recipe IS vegan and I’ve got you covered on all the vegan ingredient swaps!
Mexican White Spaghetti Ingredients
The ingredients for this pasta dish are simple and won’t be difficult to find.
- Spaghetti: I use a medium thick one for best results. In a pinch I’ve also used both linguine and fettucine. Just buy the best quality one you can afford. The cheaper pasta may fall apart and ruin your dish.
- Mexican Crema: We’re going to use my vegan Mexican crema recipe. For vegan white spaghetti sauce it really is best to start from scratch. The traditional version uses Mexican sour cream.
- Ham: We of course will be using vegan ham. Use your favorite brand, or whatever is on sale.
- Nutritional Yeast: This is that magical ingredient that helps give vegan food that “cheese” flavor and scent. Don’t skip it!
- Onion: White onion is what you’ll need. Some people use onion powder but I feel fresh onion works best.
- Garlic: You must have garlic! Again there are people that use garlic powder but I prefer the taste of fresh garlic better.
- Salt and Pepper: Salt to salt the water and season the pasta. Pepper you can use either white pepper or black pepper.
- Pasta Water: This will help give our pasta that creamy taste and texture.
- Vegetable Broth: People normally use milk (or plant milk) but I like the taste of the broth better.
- Butter: Make sure you use butter (vegan butter) for this to give it a richer flavor than oil.
- Cheese: Either cotija or queso fresco work great as toppings. I know some people will also add cream cheese when making the sauce for an even more decadent spaghetti blanco.
How to Make a Vegetarian Version
To make a vegetarian espagueti a la crema, use dairy based Mexican sour cream. Use 1 1/2 cups of crema and only add a little bit of the pasta as needed to thin down the sauce just a little bit.
If you’d like you can blend the onion and the garlic with the sour cream.
Omit the nutritional yeast. For the ham you can use vegan ham or omit it all together.
How to Make Spaghetti Blanco
The process really isn’t difficult. But you do need to make sure to prepare the almonds the night before or early in the morning, check my tips in the recipe card for this.
- Soak the almond overnight in a covered container and leave on the kitchen counter. The next day strain and peel off the skin.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (I also add a splash of oil, it’s up to you). Then add the spaghetti into the pot. Follow the package instructions for cooking al dente pasta.
- Carefully ladle out 3 cups of the pasta water, set it aside and drain the pasta. Do not run the pasta under cool water, just drain and set aside.
- Melt the vegan butter in the same pot you cooked the pasta. Add the onion and saute it until soft and translucent.
- Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes.
- Add the vegan ham, salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes. Turn heat off.
- Blend the soaked and drained almonds with 1/2 cup vegetable broth or plant milk, until broken down.
- Add 1 cup pasta water, blend one minute.
- Squeeze in the lime juice, pour in the nutritional yeast, and cornstarch, until completely smooth.
- Strain the white sauce into the pot. Discard leftover almond bits, or make vegan cotija with them.
- Turn heat back on, mix until well combined. Then mix in 1.5 cups of pasta water and stir until well combined.
- Cover and simmer until sauce has thickened.
- Taste for salt and pepper and adjust if desired.
- Mix in cooked pasta and toss until the spaghetti is well coated with the pasta.
- Serve right away. Top with cheese if desired. Enjoy!
How to Serve Mexican Espagueti a la Crema
Serve it as a side dish or as a main dish for lunch or for dinner.
It makes a delicious side dish to meals like vegan turkey roast for the holidays or even vegan milanesa.
How to Store Leftovers
Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Though pasta freezes well I wouldn’t really suggest it with this recipe. The cream sauce tends to be completely absorbed by the pasta and also the vegan ham can get a strange consistency after defrosting.
How to Reheat
To reheat on the stove, add a little bit of plant milk to the pasta and reheat on low heat until warmed through.
You can also reheat in the microwave covered and adding a few splashes of non-dairy milk to the pasta so it doesn’t dry out.
Looking for a Barro Plate Like Mine
Amigos so many of you ask me where I get my beautiful Mexican pottery from. The answer is Mexico. I know many of you can’t travel so I’ve put together a gorgeous collection from Amazon. Click the image below to go check it out.
Mexican Spaguetti Blanco Recipe
Ok amigos below is the recipe for making Mexican Espagueti Blanco or espaguetti a la crema. Regardless of the name you choose to call it, this is truly a dish you need to make. It’s so delicious!
Spaghetti Blanco | Espagueti a la Crema (Made Vegan)
Video
Ingredients
- 3/4 lbs spaghetti
- 3/4 cups almonds soaked overnight*
- 2.5 Tablespoons vegan butter
- 1/2 medium white onion finely chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic finely minced
- 7 oz vegan ham adjust amount to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper or white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth low sodium
- 1/2 small lime
- 3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast use 3 to 4 Tablespoons
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1.5 cups pasta water or more if needed**
Instructions
- Soak the almond overnight in a covered container and leave on the kitchen counter. The next day strain and peel off the skin.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (I also add a splash of oil, it’s up to you). Then add the spaghetti into the pot. Follow the package instructions for cooking al dente pasta.Carefully ladle out 3 cups of the pasta water, set it aside and drain the pasta. Do not run the pasta under cool water, just drain and set aside.
- Melt the vegan butter in the same pot you cooked the pasta. Add the onion and sauté it until soft and translucent.Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the vegan ham, salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes. Turn heat off.
- Blend the soaked and drained almonds with 1/2 cup vegetable broth or plant milk, until broken down.
- Add 1 cup pasta water, blend one minute. Squeeze in the lime juice, pour in the nutritional yeast, and cornstarch, until completely smooth.
- Strain the white sauce into the pot. Discard leftover almond bits, or make vegan cotija with them.
- Turn heat back on, mix until well combined. Then mix in 1.5 cups of pasta water and stir until well combined.
- Cover and simmer until sauce has thickened. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust if desired. Mix in cooked pasta and toss until the spaghetti is well coated with the pasta.
- Serve right away. Top with cheese if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nancy Lopez is a food blogger and author of the cookbook Mexican Tamales Made Meatless. Born in Mexico, raised in the US, and currently living in Southern Mexico, she has followed a meatless diet for almost 10 years. It is her passion and mission to share all she has learned about vegan Mexican cooking and vegetarian Mexican recipes. Mexican Made Meatless is a blog dedicated to preserving the authentic flavors of Mexican cuisine just without the meat. It’s a place to celebrate Mexican culture and all it’s delightfully delicious traditional foods. Read more…
