Mexican Green Spaghetti Recipe (Espagueti Verde)
Mexican green spaghetti or espagueti verde is scrumptious pasta dish made with a creamy roasted poblano pepper sauce. This dish is super easy to make and you could have it on the table in about 30 minutes.
What is Green Spaghetti
Mexican green spaghetti is one of the lesser know dishes to non-Mexicans, and amigos it’s a Mexican cuisine one you’ve got to try!
This is a creamy poblano sauce pasta dish that’s traditionally served as a side dish. It’s also perfect as a main dish — and since it’s a one pot meal it’s perfect for a busy weeknight.
It’s often made for special occasions, but during the holiday season it’s also particularly popular. It’s most often served as a one of the side dishes to meat but also tamales.
Other popular holiday spaghetti dishes are espagueti blanco, which is a creamy white sauce pasta, and espagueti rojo which is a spaghetti noodles in a red creamy sauce made with tomatoes.
What Are Poblano Peppers
Poblano peppers come from the state of Puebla and are very common in Mexican cuisine. You can get them at just about any grocery store in the US now.
In Mexican stores you’ll see them as chile poblano.
Creamy Espagueti Verde
This pasta gets it’s green color and vibrant flavors mainly from the roasted poblano peppers, which are also the main ingredient in this recipe.
Recipes can vary from the different Mexican regions as well as from person to person.
The only chili pepper I personally like to add are poblano peppers. But some people also add jalapeño peppers or serrano peppers for great way to add extra heat and make a spicier green spaghetti sauce.
Some people also add fresh cilantro, spinach, and tomatillos to the sauce. I don’t generally add these, but everyone is free to adjust the ingredients as they like.
The creaminess in Mexican green spaghetti comes from the dairy added.
It can be a mixture of crema or Mexican sour cream, milk, and even cream cheese. Sometimes it’s all three and others it can be any combination of the three.
I’m personally not a huge fan of too much dairy in savory recipes, so I only like to use media crema, or table cream as it’s seems to be called in English.
This is similar to cream or lighter than American heavy cream. I love it and think it works amazing in cream based sauces.
You can find it in Mexican grocery stores or on Amazon and comes in cans like evaporated milk. Unfortunately there is there is no dairy-free version of it yet.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
There’s so much to love about this Mexican creamy green spaghetti. Here’s just a few reasons.
• The bright green pasta sauce is made with roasted poblano peppers which give the pasta a slightly smoky flavor.
• The rich sauce is made with Mexican crema and it makes for a decadent sauce that’s perfect over pasta noodles.
• This espagueti verde recipe makes a fantastic meal for special occasions.
• One of the best part of this Mexican pasta recipe is that you can serve it different ways. Serve as a side or main dish.
• Super easy to veganize!
•
Ingredients Used in Poblano Spaghetti
The ingredients for this delicious poblano pasta dish are actually quite simple.
Roasted Poblanos: The peppers are blackened directly on the gas stove burner. This helps them further develop their delicious flavor.
Spaghetti Noodles: Traditionally spaghetti pasta is used but you could really make this creamy pasta dish with any type of pasta.
White Onion and Garlic: For delicious flavors.
Vegetable Broth: Traditionally instead of the vegetable broth I use, chicken bouillon or chicken stock is used. Of course we’re going for a vegetarian version here.
For the vegetable broth I use bouillon powder diluted in water to make the broth.
Media Crema or Crema Mexicana: I personally like to use media crema because it has a creamier fat content, but most people use regular Mexican sour cream.
Some people will use whole milk with a combination of the sour cream and cream cheese. It’s up to you.
Olive Oil: Traditionally vegetable oil or butter is used. I prefer olive oil for health reasons, you can use any of these options.
Salt and Black Pepper: No other seasonings are needed.
Cotija Cheese: For topping, and in a pinch either parmesan or even crumbled feta cheese may be used as a substitute.
Pasta Water: I also use some pasta water from boiling the pasta. This is to make the creamy green poblano sauce even creamier. The water has starch in it and that’s what helps achieve the creaminess.
After you make my Poblano Cream Sauce Spaghetti, try my Fideo Seco.
You may notice that my recipe is lighter and somewhat healthier than others out there. It’s how I’ve always made my poblano cream sauce, and I’ve never had a complain about it’s taste.
However, feel free to add more crema or mix in some half and half or cream cheese into the pasta poblano recipe to get the results you’d like.
How to Make Mexican Espagueti Verde
This recipe is so easy any level or experience of cooks can make it.
Step 1: Roast Poblano Peppers
We need to roast them to cook them. Roast on a gas stove over an open flame on medium-high heat. Turning occasionally until evenly charred on all sides.
You can also place on a baking sheet and put them under the broiler. For a full visual guide and video check out my How to Roast Poblano Peppers Guide.
Step 2: Sweat Roasted Poblanos
Once the poblanos have blackened skin, place in bowl or plate or baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. (Or place inside a plastic bag.) Leave to sweat for 10 minutes.
Step 3: Peel Poblano Peppers
Use the back of a butter knife to peel away the charred skin. Next remove the stem and slice open to deseed.
Step 4: Cook Spaghetti
Follow the package directions to cook the pasta al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the boiling water from the cooked pasta.
Step 5: Blend
Place peeled poblanos in a blender (or food processor) along with the onion, garlic cloves, salt, black pepper, pasta water, vegetable broth and the media crema and blend until completely smooth.
Step 6: Cook The Creamy Green Sauce
Over medium heat, add a bit of olive oil to a large pot then once it’s warm pour in the blended poblano sauce. Stir until well combine and simmer until it thickens up.
Step 7: Mix
Mix in the cooked and drained spaghetti. Toss to coat the pasta well.
How to Serve Spaghetti in Poblano Sauce
To serve top with crumbled queso cotija or queso fresco or even grated parmesan cheese, it tastes great. Serve either as a main dish or side dish.
Traditionally this delicious pasta dish is served for family gatherings, specially during the holiday season or special celebrations.
It’s just one of those flavorful Mexican recipes that’s perfect for feeding a crowd and I have to say that even a picky eater will enjoy the pasta.
Before going meatless I loved to pair it with chicken breast or even salmon fillets. Now I just pair with a green salad and sometimes a light vegetable soup.
What Does it Taste Like
Espagueti verde for sure will become one of your favorite pastas. Think of it like Mexican twist to white alfredo sauce but with more depth of flavors.
The texture is creamy and the flavors are a little earthy and smoky from the poblanos, it’s not spicy and it tastes decadent and downright like flavorful comfort food.
How to Store & Reheat
You can store any leftovers by allowing them to come to room temperature first. Then place in an airtight container.
Fridge
In the refrigerator this pasta will keep fresh for up to 4 days.
Freezer
Pasta tends to freeze well and this creamy green spaghetti will also freeze well for up to 3 months.
Reheating
To reheat you can do so in the microwave. I like to add a couple tablespoons of water to the pasta so it doesn’t completely dry out.
You could also reheat on the stove, again adding a splash of water or a little olive oil to the pan before adding the spaghetti.
Use tongs to toss and move the pasta around so it heats through evenly.
Is Espagueti Verde Spicy?
Short and quick answer is no….well maybe not.
So generally speaking poblano chiles are not spicy.
However, now and then you may get some that are.
So in that case your spaghetti may have some heat. But with the media crema added it should tame it, so really don’t worry because chances of too much heat happening are not very high.
If you simply can’t take a risk or tolerate any spiciness whatsoever, then you could use roasted green bell peppers instead of the poblanos.
Now be very aware that the taste is going to be completely different than poblanos. I’ve never personally made green spaghetti with bell peppers so can’t tell you whether I like it or not.
Vegan Spaghetti Verde
The best alternative for a vegan and dairy free version is to use a homemade crema Mexicana (try my recipe) or if you can find vegan heavy cream use that instead.
My vegan crema is made with almonds but you could also use one made using raw cashews.
For vegan cotija queso try my recipe.
The rest of the ingredients, including the spaghetti noodles, are vegan. So it’s quite an easy recipe to veganize.
Gracias
I’m so happy you stopped by. If you have any questions or want to let me know how you liked this recipe, do leave a comment. Muchas gracias, I appreciate you!
Espagueti Verde Recipe
Ok amigos, below is the recipe card for my super easy for espagueti verde. I’m sure you’re absolutely going to love it not just how quick and easy it is to prepare, but also how flavorful this creamy pasta is.
Do let me know in the comments if you’re going to be trying it or if you’ve already tried my recipe.
Buen Provecho!
Mexican Green Spaghetti Recipe (Espagueti Verde)
Video
Ingredients
- one 18oz pack of spaghetti
- 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
- 4 poblano peppers medium size
- 1/2 small white onion quartered into large chunks
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth or 1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon powder mixed with 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup table cream or media crema substitute with Mexican crema if desired
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
- 6 tablespoons cotija cheese or queso fresco or parmesan cheese
Instructions
- We need to roast them to cook them. Roast on a gas stove over an open flame on medium-high heat. Turning occasionally until evenly charred on all sides.
- Once the poblanos have blackened skin, place in bowl or plate or baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. (Or place inside a plastic bag.) Leave to sweat for 10 minutes.
- Use the back of a butter knife to peel away the charred skin. Next remove the stem and slice open to deseed.
- Follow the package directions to cook the pasta al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the boiling water from the cooked pasta.
- Place peeled poblanos in a blender (or food processor) along with the onion, garlic cloves, salt, black pepper, pasta water, vegetable broth and the media crema and blend until completely smooth.
- Over medium heat, add a bit of olive oil to a large pot then once it’s warm pour in the blended poblano sauce. Stir until well combine and simmer until it thickens up.
- Mix in the cooked and drained spaghetti. Toss to coat the pasta well.
Nutrition
(Please notice that this article contains Amazon affiliate links, which may earn us a small commission if you make a purchase through them. Your support helps us continue to provide valuable content.)
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…
Yummm
Hope you make it, thank you!
My 3 luttle one like this. I enjoyed it as well. I did everything as stated on recipe. Except my table cream was Meadow Gold dairy Pure table cream. So yummy. Thank you!
Thank you MaryAnne, so happy to hear your little ones liked the spaghetti. 🙂
loved this recipe, made it last week and we all loved it, Family likes spicy so I added a few jalapenos and let me tell you this recipe did disappoint. Will be making it for thanks giving day.
Thank you Katerine,
Happy to hear your family enjoys this pasta.
That´s so yuumyy!! I aint a vegan but I´ll try it for sure!
Thank you Albert, I hope you give it a try soon!
How much do i need to feed 200 people? My daughter want me to make it for her wedding.
Hi Norma,
Sorry my recipe is for 8 servings…you could try to estimate yourself but perhaps consult with someone who has experience cooking for such a large crowd.