Vegan Espagueti Verde (Mexican Green Spaghetti)
Creamy vegan espagueti verde, the dairy-free version of Mexican green spaghetti, made with roasted poblano peppers, vegan crema, and vegetable broth. Mild, smoky, and ready in 40 minutes.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 370kcal
Ingredients
- 9 oz spaghetti it's 250gm
- ½ cup reserved pasta water* adjust as needed
- 4 small poblano peppers
- ¼ small white onion quartered into chunks
- 2 whole garlic cloves sliced in half
- ½ teaspoon sea salt adjust to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup vegetable broth* or 1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon powder mixed with 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup vegan crema homemade or store-bought
- 1 Tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
- 2 Tablespoons vegan butter or vegan margarine
- 6 Tablespoons vegan cotija cheese or vegan queso fresco or vegan parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Rinse and pat dry the poblano peppers.
- Place the peppers directly over the open flame of a gas stove on medium-high heat. Char for a few minutes, then turn with tongs until evenly blackened on all sides.
- Place the charred poblanos in a large bowl, cover with a plate or plastic wrap, and let them sweat for 10 minutes.
- While the poblanos rest, bring a large pot of water to a boil with a large pinch of salt and a swirl of oil. Cook the spaghetti until al dente.
- Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta and set it aside.
- Scrape the charred skin off the poblanos with the back of a butter knife. Slice them open lengthwise, remove the seeds, stem, and veins, and roughly chop.
- Add the poblanos, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, vegetable broth, 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water, and vegan crema to a blender. Blend until smooth, then taste and adjust the salt. If the sauce tastes a little sweet, add a squeeze of lime juice.
- Heat the olive oil and vegan butter in a medium pot until the butter melts.
- Carefully pour in the blended sauce and simmer over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until the raw onion flavor is gone.
- Add the cooked spaghetti and toss until every strand is coated. Loosen with a splash of the remaining pasta water if needed. Top with vegan cotija and serve.
Video
Notes
- Creaminess: Adjust the amounts to taste depending on how creamy you want the sauce. If you don’t want to use pasta water, use more vegan crema.
- No gas stove? Char the poblanos under the broiler or in the air fryer until the skin is blackened.
- Lime: A squeeze of lime juice brightens the sauce if you’d like.
- Make ahead: Make the sauce ahead and keep it in the fridge. Warm it and toss with freshly cooked spaghetti just before serving.
- Storage: Keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge. I don’t recommend freezing.
- Nutrition: Calorie information is a rough estimate and depends on the ingredients you use.
Nutrition
Serving: 6servings | Calories: 370kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 690mg | Potassium: 200mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 475IU | Vitamin C: 40mg | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 1mg
