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This Creamy Poblano Spaghetti (Espagueti Verde) is an excellent recipe for using roasted poblano peppers, which add both flavor and color to the beautifully silky pasta sauce.
Mexican Green Spaghetti can be enjoyed on its own, as an easy to make meatless meal, or as a side dish for chicken, seafood, pork, or beef. Families also like preparing it during the holidays as an accompaniment to roasted turkey or pork.
This recipe comes to us from the cookbook, Mexico in Your Kitchen: Favorite Mexican Recipes That Celebrate Family, Community, Culture, and Tradition. I was given a copy by the publisher, but all my opinions are my own.
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Mexico in Your Kitchen
You guys know I love Mexican food! And Mexico in Your Kitchen: Favorite Mexican Recipes That Celebrate Family, Community, Culture, and Tradition By Mely Martínez helps to bring some classic recipes to my dinner table.
These traditional Mexican recipes from the best-selling author of The Mexican Home Kitchen in a cookbook are specialized for the home cook, and easy to make. And don’t worry, the ingredients are easy to find and the recipes are easy to follow.
I’ve already made the tortitas de papa on page 147 (you’ll see them in the picture below). And I have plans to make the creamy chipotle chicken (though I’ll use shrimp), the encremadas, and the gorditas dulces.
Espagueti Verde
Translating from Spanish, Espagueti means “spaghetti” and verde means “green.” So, this dish translates to “Green Spaghetti.”
You might also call it spaghetti verde, green pasta, pasta poblana, or creamy green poblano sauce spaghetti.
Like many traditional dishes, you’ll find a few variations, not only in the name, but in how different cooks make it. But most versions include poblano peppers, the creamy ingredients, and the aromatics.
And it’s simple to make. Once you’ve roasted the poblanos, simply blend the sauce in a blender or food processor until super smooth. Cook the pasta, and combine the two.
It’s a nice mild sauce, because the cream reduces any spiciness the poblanos may have.
If you haven’t tried this authentic Mexican recipe from the State of Puebla you’re missing out. It’s an easy dinner that your whole family will love.
To roast poblano peppers
Place the peppers over an open flame on your stove over medium-high heat for 6-12 minutes, turning them with kitchen tongs to roast evenly. The peppers will have charred skin all over and look slightly soft.
After roasting, place the peppers in a plastic bag and close it to steam them for 5 minutes. This process makes the skins of the peppers loosen up for easy removal.
If you have sensitive skin, you may want to wear gloves to scrape the skin off and to cut the peppers.
Remove the peppers from the bag and scrape off the charred skins by rubbing your fingers on the surface of the pepper or using the edge of a spoon. You can leave some of the charred skins on, if you like, to add more flavor to the dish. Do not rinse the peppers, as they will lose some of their flavor.
With a sharp knife, cut a slit along the length of the peppers, then remove the seeds and veins.
Alternatively, you can place them on a hot comal or skillet over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, turning them to roast evenly.
Or place them on a baking sheet under your broiler at 400° F (205° C) for 2-5 minutes, turning them once.
An outdoor gas or charcoal grill can also be used.
After roasting, continue with the steaming process.
Can I make ahead?
The two most common questions I get are about making ahead and storage. So, here’s some make ahead tips.
The peppers can be roasted ahead of time and used later. Just store the roasted peppers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Or, freeze them for up to 3 months.
Thaw frozen roasted peppers in the microwave or in the refrigerator overnight.
You can make extra peppers to store for later too.
The poblano sauce can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. When you’re ready to eat, cook the pasta, and proceed with heating the butter in a skillet and warming the sauce.
I’m not a fan of freezing cream-based sauces, I find that the texture changes too much.
Storage
Make sure to cool the leftovers completely before storage.
Store the leftover pasta with sauce in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
To reheat, stir in 1-2 tablespoons of milk or any reserved pasta cooking water and either heat on the stove or in the microwave until hot.
Serving suggestions
This dish is a fantastic filling meatless main dish all on its own.
Feel free to add some cooked shredded chicken or sauteed shrimp directly to the dish. Add in some veggies too like broccoli, spinach, or peas.
Or serve it on the side with some roasted chicken, salmon, pork, or beef.
Looking for another great Mexican flavored comfort food dish? Be sure to check out my Sopa de Fideo.
The sauce is also excellent for enchiladas or breakfast burritos.
Changes to the recipe
You can substitute the heavy cream with 6 ounces (170 g) of cream cheese to give the sauce a thicker and richer texture.
Swap out the cream or cream cheese with sour cream, Mexican crema, or Greek yogurt.
Seasoning the sauce with vegetable or chicken bouillon granules is common. Add 1 teaspoon after you add the sauce to the skillet in step 3, making sure to adjust the salt accordingly because the bouillon can be salty.
Make this gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta
Want it spicy? Add some serrano or jalapeno to the blender with the poblanos. You can even roast the spicy peppers along with the poblanos.
To make a thinner sauce, add ¼ cup of vegetable broth or some reserved pasta cooking water.
Try using whole wheat spaghetti or high protein pasta. And really, any shape pasta will work – penne, linguini, elbows, etc…
I like to top it with queso fresco, but any Mexican cheese or even Parmesan will work.
What if I can’t find poblano peppers?
Most well stocked grocery stores carry Poblano peppers. Poblano is also commonly called a pasilla pepper at the grocery store.
But if you can’t find them, you can use green bell peppers or Anaheim peppers.
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Recipe
Creamy Poblano Spaghetti (Espagueti Verde)
Ingredients
Pasta
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces (227 g) uncooked spaghetti noodles
Sauce
- 2 large poblano peppers roasted, seeds and veins removed, and cut into strips
- ⅓ white onion chopped or ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 large clove garlic chopped ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup (60 ml) whole milk
- ¾ cup (180 ml) heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Salt and black pepper
For garnishing
- Flat-leaf parsley leaves or cilantro leaves
- Crumbled queso fresco
Instructions
To make the pasta:
- Place 8 cups (2 quarts/1.9 L) of water in a medium pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, add the salt, then add the pasta. Once the water comes back to a boil, let the pasta cook for about 8 minutes for al dente pasta, then drain.1 teaspoon salt, 8 ounces (227 g) uncooked spaghetti noodles
While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce:
- Place the poblano pepper strips, reserving some for garnishing, in a blender along with the onion, garlic, milk, and heavy cream and process until smooth.2 large poblano peppers, ⅓ white onion chopped, 1 large clove garlic chopped, ¼ cup (60 ml) whole milk, ¾ cup (180 ml) heavy cream
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the poblano cream sauce to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the sauce gently simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce is hot and has a velvety consistency.1 tablespoon butter, Salt and black pepper
- Add the drained pasta to the skillet, mix well to completely coat the spaghetti with the sauce, and let the pasta heat up again.
- Serve on plates or in shallow bowls and garnish with parsley leaves, cilantro leaves, reserved poblano pepper strips, and crumbled queso fresco.Flat-leaf parsley leaves or cilantro leaves, Crumbled queso fresco
Notes
Place the peppers over an open flame on your stove over medium-high heat for 10-12 minutes, turning them with kitchen tongs to roast evenly. The peppers will have charred skin all over and look slightly soft. After roasting, place the peppers in a paper or plastic bag and close it to steam them for 5 minutes. This process makes the skins of the peppers loosen up for easy removal. Remove the peppers from the bag and scrape off the charred skins by rubbing your fingers on the surface of the pepper or using the edge of a spoor You can leave some of the charred skins on, if you like, to add more flavor to the dish. Do not rinse the peppers, as they will lose some of their flavor. With a sharp knife, cut a slit along the length of the peppers, then remove the seeds and veins. Storage: Make sure to cool the leftovers completely before storage. Store the leftover pasta with sauce in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. To reheat, stir in 1-2 tablespoons of milk or any reserved pasta cooking water and either heat on the stove or in the microwave until hot.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Debi
This is a great meal for vegetarians, or a side dish with meats. The cream in the sauce means it isn’t too spicy, and the flavor is delicious! I hope you love it as much as we do. Debi, author, Life Currents