Espagueti Verde + VIDEO

My son is a picky eater. He recently regressed to his baby days when I couldn’t feed him anything but chicken nuggets.

Somehow I knew he would eat Espagueti Verde, and he did!

Spaghetti tossed in a creamy poblano sauce and topped with cheese .. Who can say no to that?! I know I can’t.

My son even asked for the leftovers to take to school. YAY!

Ingredients for Espagueti Verde

• Roasted Poblano Peppers
• Cream Cheese
• Crema Mexicana (or you can use whole milk)
• Garlic
• Onion
• Salt

The cream cheese will add a lot of creaminess to the dish. However, you can swap it for more crema mexicana.

A substitute for crema mexicana is sour cream, whole milk, or half and half.

How to Make Espagueti Verde

It starts with roasting the poblano peppers. You can check out my instructional video on how to roast a poblano pepper.

• Roast the poblano peppers.
• Steam them.
• Remove the skin, stem, seeds.
• Set aside until ready to use.

I used 3 peppers. The rest I stuck in the freezer for later. That might be a lot for some of you.

However, don’t be afraid of poblanos. They are not very spicy and combined with cream cheese and crema mexicana, there is only a mild kick to the sauce.

• Boil water in a large pot.
• Add salt.
• Cook the spaghetti, according to the package instructions.

“Espagueti” in Spanish means “spaghetti.” “Verde” means “green.”
Literally, this dish translated means “Green Spaghetti.”

Although I do consider Espagueti Verde to a traditional Mexican recipe, this dish is a blend of the New and Old Worlds.

There was a big surge of Italian immigrants to Mexico in the late 19th century. They introduced spaghetti to us.

We also use spaghetti in other Mexican recipes like Espagueti a la Crema.

• Add the roasted poblanos, crema mexicana, garlic, and onion to a blender.
• Blend until smooth.
• Set aside until ready to use.

You can also add the salt at this point. I do it at the end so I can adjust if needed.

If you add the cream cheese to the blender at this stage in the game, the sauce will be too thick. That’s why I leave it for the end.

• Add butter to a large stock pot.
• Pour in the poblano sauce.
• Add the cream cheese and salt.
• Stir frequently until the cream cheese melt.

This is also the time to taste for salt.

I highly suggest making extra sauce and storing it in the freezer for later. Defrost and use again when you’re in a pinch and need to make a quick Mexican meal.

Consider adding shrimp or chicken to make this dish a complete meal.

• Add the cooked spaghetti.
• Turn off the heat.

There’s something so beautiful about a big bowl of spaghetti.

I could eat this all day everyday. I used spaghetti noodles, but you can use penne, elbow, whatever your heart desires.

You want to make sure every noodle is covered with the sauce.

I like to make my sauces ahead of time. It makes getting dinner on the table a lot faster.

Top the Espagueti Verde with Mexican cheese – queso fresco, queso añejo, cotija. You can also add chopped cilantro.

The only thing left is to grab a fork and dig in. Hope you enjoy!

Print Recipe

5 from 10 votes

Espagueti Verde

Espagueti Verde is a creamy and savory dish that will make you beg for seconds. Spaghetti tossed in a delicious poblano sauce. This Mexican recipe is great for Meatless Mondays or any day of the week. 

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time35 mins

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: Authentic Mexican Food, cream cheese, creamy, crema mexicana, Easy recipe, Poblano Pepper, Spaghetti

Servings: 6 people

Author: Maggie Unzueta

Ingredients

• 3 roasted poblano peppers skin, stem, and seeds removed
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 onion chopped
• 2 tspns salt divided
• 1 cup crema mexicana (or whole milk)
• 1 16-ounce package spaghetti
• Water enough to cook the spaghetti
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese
• Queso Cotija topping

Instructions

• Roast the poblano peppers.
• Remove the stem, skin, and seeds.
• Rough chop or slice the poblanos.
• To a blender, add the roasted poblanos, garlic, onion, and crema mexicana.
• Blend until smooth. Set aside.
• Bring water to a boil in a large stock pot.
• Add 1 teaspoon of salt.
• Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions.
• Drain the cooked spaghetti.
• In a stock pot, melt the butter.
• Add the poblano sauce, salt, and cream cheese.
• Stir frequently until the cream cheese melts. About 5 minutes.
• Taste for salt.
• Add the cooked spaghetti.
• Toss the spaghetti with the poblano sauce.
• Make sure the sauce covers all the noodles.
• Serve and top with cheese.  

Steak with Roasted Poblano Peppers and Potatoes, or Bistec con Rajas y Papas, is a classic Mexican recipe. This dish is loaded with flavor and makes weeknight meals super tasty.

Chicken in Creamy Poblano Sauce (or Pollo en Crema de Chile Poblano) is a yummy Mexican food recipe that’s truly a classic in Mexico. The sauce is similar to the one here for Espagueti Verde.

Easy Creamy Calabacitas Corn and Poblano Chile (or Calabacitas con Elote y Rajas de Chile Poblano) is a tasty dish that comes together in minutes. Only takes a few ingredients, and this recipe is ready to eat.