Mexican green spaghetti
This mexican green spaghetti is made with a creamy and no-spicy poblano sauce. Is traditionally served as a side dish in Mexico but is also a wonderful one pot meal for any weekday dinner.
What is mexican green spaghetti?
The dish is made with green sauce, normally prepared with poblano peppers but it can also use other types of chillies to achieve that color. The taste is mildly sweet with a nice touch of poblano flavor.
Mexican green spaghetti is served mostly as a side dish in special occasions like weddings or big gatherings because that pasta is also very pretty with that particular bright green color.
Is poblano pasta spicy?
Not really. Even though poblano peppers are somehow unpredictable, you still can control the spiciness of the sauce by discarding seeds and veins.
Pay special attention when doing this and use gloves to avoid heat from coming in contact with your skin.
Fresh poblano pepper substitute
Finding fresh poblano pepper is not so easy outside Mexico. But you can also make this spaghetti with a few substitutes of fresh poblano:
Jalapeño peppers. Just remember that this kind of pepper is very hot so you better deseed them pretty well.
Italian peppers (friggitelli). You can find that type of pepper almost all over the world. The taste is very similar to poblano with a small touch of bitterness.
Green bell peppers. This is my first option when friggitelli are not in season here in Italy. Love also that they are a lot easier to peel after roasted and that they’re not spicy at all.
Mexican sour cream substitute
You can make your own mexican sour cream substitute by using regular whole cream and adding a few drops of lime juice (or vinegar) and a sprinkle of salt. Mix and use in the recipe.
Or you can make a mix of 1:1 cream and greek yogurt. This is the method I prefer because the taste is very similar to mexican sour cream.
Other substitutes
If you can’t find queso fresco or don’t want to make you own at home. Use Feta or fresh goat cheese.
For fresh cilantro. You can use parsley instead but you don’t want to miss the flavor, so use a bit of dried cilantro as well.
Final notes for poblano spaghetti
Even though I left you with lots of options for substitutes. Be sure to use just one or two of them. We still want the traditional recipe and missing all the ingredients will make only a regular spaghetti with green creamy sauce instead the mexican version.
Mexican green spaghetti – step by step
Wash throughly the poblano peppers, roast them with the technique you prefer (in the oven, directly on the stove’s fire or on a comal or pan). Put them in a plastic bag or container and then wrap them in a kitchen cloth. Let them sit for 10-15 minutes.
Remove the skin from the peppers, cut them in half, remove all the seeds and remove the veins. Cut them into strips or pieces to make it easier to blend them.
Put the chilies in a blender, add cilantro, the garlic clove and cream. I recommend adding only a small amount of cilantro since the flavour of the poblano is very delicate and if you add so much cilantro it can cover the pepper taste.
Add 1/2 cup of chicken stock or hot water and blend until you get a creamy and homogeneous sauce.
Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add the poblano sauce and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper then low the heat to a minimum. Simmer for 5 minutes uncovered or until the sauce thickens. Turn off the heat and set aside.
Cook the pasta as indicated in the package. Once cooked drain it and add it directly to the pan with the cream. Add a sprinkle of cheese and mix for a minute to coat evenly then serve with more queso fresco on top.
How to roast peppers
There’s actually a few methods to roast peppers and I have used all of them, so no worries because regardless of what method you use, the recipe will still be delicious.
- On the oven. This is the most easy way to do it. Just pop your peppers on the oven for about 20 minutes at 200°C (390 F). Be sure to flip them at least once to allow them to roast evenly.
- On the grill or directly on the gas stove flame. You will need to flip them constantly until they’re nicely and evenly charred.
- On a comal or a cast iron skillet. Place the peppers and roast for about 20 minutes turning them every 4-5 minutes until they’re soft and with the skin falling.
Try more mexican recipes at home
Mexican green spaghetti
Ingredients
- 320 gr (11 oz) spaghetti
- 250 gr (2 large) poblano peppers (roasted, seeded and peeled)
- 200 gr (1 cup) Mexican half cream (or regular cream)
- 120 ml (½ cup) chicken stock
- 1 tbsp. butter
- Queso fresco
- Cilantro (read notes)
- 1 garlic clove
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Put the poblano peppers in a blender, add cilantro, the garlic clove and cream.
- Add chicken stock or hot water and blend until you get a creamy and homogeneous sauce.
- Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add the poblano sauce and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper then low heat to a minimum.
- Simmer for 5 minutes uncovered or until the sauce thickens. Turn off the heat and set aside.
- Cook pasta as indicated in the package. Once cooked drain it and add it to the pan.
- Sprinkle with cheese and mix for a minute to coat evenly then serve with more queso fresco on top.
Just finished making this and although it took me 3 hours because I was scared of messing up and had to modify the recipe for a larger batch…..everyone loved it!
glad you liked it!
I didn’t know they ate much spaghetti in Mexico! Such a fun recipe, will definitely have to try make it sometime. Sounds really yum :)
Hope you try it! it’s really yummy :)
I love creamy poblano sauce. I usually put it in rice, but using it in pasta sounds great. I look forward to trying this recipe!
Let us know if you like it :)
This looks delicious, a perfect weeknight dinner! Looking forward to making a big batch of this sauce.
Thank you :) hope you give it a try!
I’ve made a sauce with poblanos before, but only for enchiladas. I love the pasta idea, so I’m definitely making this over the weekend! I’ve also made my own sour cream: I highly recommend it because it has a more interesting flavor than store-bought sour cream!
You’re so right about the sour cream, here in Italy I can find some brands but honestly they’re just so bad, I prefer making my own version with more fresh ingredients.
Ow, this looks so yummy. It looks so much like a normal pasta pesto, but this one is much nicer. Love the combination of poblano peppers, cilantro and queso fresco. This will be a winner at dinner parties.
It truly is Sabine! I live in a country where pasta is a big deal and when I serve my mexican version everyone loves it!
What kind of cream? I bought whipping cream is that okay??
Regular whole cream would be better because of the thicker texture, but whipping cream is also an option. Btw, you can see in one photo the texture of the cream I used.
Could this sauce be canned? It sounds amazing and we have a ton of peppers in our garden.
Tracy, I wouldn’t recommend canning this sauce. You can, however, blend poblanos with garlic and cilantro with a little bit of water (just enough to make a thick sauce), and store that mixture. Then, when you want to make this recipe, just add cream and proceed as per instructions. Hope it helps.
Also, you can roast your peppers, peel them, discard seeds and stem, and freeze them wrapped with cling film or in zip bags. They last up to 4 months!