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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.
Pollo al Poblano, Carne con Rajas, Shrimp Poblano Quesadillas
What is green pasta?
Green pasta (or Espagueti Verde) is a creamy and mildly spicy dish. Pasta mixed in a rich poblano sauce.
Ingredients
- 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.
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 low on the Scoville Scale.
They are also 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.”
We use pasta in other Mexican recipes like Espagueti a la Crema, Sopa de Fideo, Fideo con Carne
Italian Mexicans
Although Espagueti Verde is considered 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.
- 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.
Word to the Wise: If you add the cream cheese to the blender at this stage in the game, the sauce will be too thick. Leave it for the end instead.
For my fellow sneaky moms, here’s an idea:
Add spinach, cooked broccoli, even peas to the blender. The kiddos will never know the difference.
- 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. Also, consider adding shrimp or chicken to make this dish a complete meal.
Great Idea: Make extra sauce and store it in the freezer for later. Defrost and use again when you’re in a pinch and need to make a quick Mexican meal.
It makes getting dinner on the table a lot faster.
- Add the cooked spaghetti.
- Turn off the heat. You want to make sure every noodle is covered with the sauce.
There’s something so beautiful about a big bowl of spaghetti. However, you can use any type of pasta – penne, elbow, whatever your heart desires.
How To Store the Sauce for Espagueti Verde:
- The sauce will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- If you are going to freeze it, it will keep up to 5 months. Make sure you use a freezer bag and remove as much air as possible.
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!
Espagueti Verde
Ingredients
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.
Video
Notes
- The sauce will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- If you are going to freeze it, it will keep up to 5 months.
This looks so good. I have picky eaters, too. I would love for them to try this, so I can, too!
It’s delicious. Perfect for picky eaters!
Yum yum! This green spaghetti looks so delicious 😍 My husband and I both love mild spicy dishes, so gotta try this one!
Easy and delicious!
I would absolutely love to try this. It looks so healthy and delicious and fun to make!
Healthy and delicious indeed. Hope you try it!
This looks like a wonderful recipe, I have never made espagueti verde before so will have to try it out
It’s so yummy! Hope you try it
I love green pasta and red pasta too. Actually, I love pasta way too much. Great recipe.
Then you will love this recipe! Hope you try it
Espagueti Verde is a delicious dish and our family friends have made something similar in the past and we loved it.
Easy and delicious!
omg this looks sooooo good. i will def have to make this soon
Thank you very much. Hope you try it!
Amazing
Thank you! I think it’s amazing too. My son’s favorite!
This was delicious! Definitely saving this recipe.
It’s my son’s favorite recipe. So good. Thank you!