Espagueti Verde is a creamy Mexican green spaghetti made with roasted poblano peppers, Mexican crema, and cream cheese. The roasted poblanos give the sauce its beautiful green color and mild chile flavor, while the dairy makes it rich, smooth, and comforting.
I first published this Espagueti Verde recipe in 2019. It was, and still is, one of my son’s favorite Mexican recipes.
If you love spaghetti, also try my Espagueti Rojo.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe ❤️
- Creamy and flavorful. Roasted poblano peppers, Mexican crema, and cream cheese make an incredibly smooth sauce.
- Mild chile flavor. Poblanos add plenty of flavor without making the pasta overly spicy.
- Easy to customize. Add chicken, shrimp, or vegetables to make it your own.
- Great for leftovers. This is an easy way to give leftover spaghetti a whole new life.
-Maggie
🌶️ Ingredients
- Roasted poblano peppers (or chile poblano)
- Cream Cheese
- Mexican crema (or you can use whole milk)
- Garlic clove
- White Onion
- Salt (or chicken bouillon)
The cream cheese adds extra richness and creaminess to the sauce. You can also substitute Mexican sour cream, heavy cream, or plain Greek yogurt.
The Name Game
- Espagueti in Spanish means “spaghetti.” Verde means “green.” Literally, this dish translated means “Green Spaghetti.”
- You might also hear green pasta, spaghetti verde, pasta poblana, creamy green poblano sauce spaghetti. All of these names refer to this dish.
👩🏼🍳 Instructions
How To Roast Poblano Peppers
- Roast poblano peppers on a baking sheet under the broiler until they have blackened skin.
- Steam them in a plastic bag, cover with plastic wrap, or place in a ziplock bag.
- Remove the skin, stem, and seeds.
Poblano chiles give the sauce its green color and have a mild chile flavor. They are low on the Scoville Scale.
They’re generally mild, and the cream cheese and Mexican crema mellow the chile flavor even more.
Check out how to roast a poblano pepper to learn how to roast peppers on an open flame.
Making the Sauce
- Add the roasted poblanos, crema mexicana, garlic, and onion to a blender.
- Blend until smooth. To make a thinner sauce, add ¼ cup of vegetable stock.
- Set the green, rich sauce aside until ready to use.
Adjusting The Sauce
Like it spicier? Roast one to two serrano peppers (or jalapeño peppers) along with the poblanos and add to the blender.
For my fellow sneaky moms with picky eaters at home, 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 creamy sauce.
- Add the cream cheese and salt.
- Stir frequently until the cream cheese melts, about 5 minutes.
For a complete meal, add shrimp, chicken, or pork. This green spaghetti recipe also makes a tasty side dish.
This creamy poblano sauce is a simple salsa poblana inspired by the flavors of Puebla, Mexico.
If you have leftover spaghetti from another night, remember this recipe. Cover with oil so the pasta won’t stick.
I’m using plain spaghetti, but feel free to use whole wheat spaghetti, quinoa spaghetti, or whatever you prefer.
🍝 Spaghetti Time
- Boil a large pot of water. Add salt.
- Cook the spaghetti noodles, according to the package directions, until al dente.
- Discard the pasta water.
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.
- Add the cooked pasta.
- Turn off the heat. Using a pair of tongs, toss to coat the noodles.
You want to make sure every noodle is covered with the creamy green sauce. Top the Espagueti Verde with Mexican cheese – queso fresco, queso añejo, cotija cheese.
🙋🏻♀️ Frequently Asked Questions
Usually, no. Poblano peppers are relatively mild, and the cream cheese and Mexican crema mellow the chile flavor even more. If you want a little more heat, roast a serrano or jalapeño with the poblanos and blend it into the sauce.
Espagueti Verde literally means “green spaghetti” in Spanish. The name comes from the bright green poblano sauce that coats the pasta.
Yes. Whole milk can be used in place of Mexican crema. The sauce will be a little lighter, but still delicious and creamy.
Yes. The cream cheese adds extra richness and helps make the sauce creamy, but you can substitute additional Mexican crema, sour cream, heavy cream, or plain Greek yogurt.
Yes, you can use jarred roasted poblanos in a pinch. Just make sure they are well drained before blending them into the sauce. The flavor will be slightly different from freshly roasted poblanos.
Storing Instructions
- 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.
🍴 More Mexican Pasta Dishes
- Sopa de Conchas
- Espagueti a la Crema
- Sopa de Fideo
- Mexican Mac and Cheese
- Fideo con Carne
- Sopa de Pollo con Fideos
This is one of those recipes that has been part of my kitchen for years, and I’m so happy to share it with you.
If you love Mexican food and creamy pasta, Espagueti Verde is one you need to try. The roasted poblano sauce is rich and flavorful without being overly spicy.
Make it as a side dish for your next Mexican dinner, or add chicken or shrimp and serve it as the main course. However you serve it, don’t forget the crumbled Cotija cheese and fresh cilantro on top.
Grab a fork and dig in. ¡Buen provecho!
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.
I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am for this recipe!!! This sauce has everything I love—cream cheese is where it’s at for sure!!! And the peppers? Always a hit in our house!
The flavors of the poblano pepper really take this pasta dish up the next level.
This is such a healthy and fun recipe for kids! Always looking for recipes that introduce new flavours and foods while being healthy for my little one.
Poblanos are positively one of my favorite peppers. So much flavor and I love when they are roasted just like in this recipe. What a fun way to switch up the usual pasta night, can’t wait to try!
I so love poblanos and pasta but never thought to merge them! This sounds delish and looks so good!
Being Italian I’ve had spaghetti in sooo many ways, but never like that! The poblano sauce sounds intriguing and very tasty 🙂 .
I’ve never had this before but it looks and sounds absolutely delicious! I love how creamy it is…I know this is a dish I would love 😀
This sauce sounds so amazing! I love its green color! I have never cooked with poblanos at home before, but you have convinced me that I can do it! I will be making this soon!
I’m loving the colors and flavors in this kicked-up version of my favorite dish; thanks for sharing – I just wish I had been there to taste this dish!
Your spaghetti dish looks soooooo good! I’m sure I would want more than seconds and I bet the leftovers are even better!! Mmmm.