Mexican green spaghetti, or espagueti verde, is a traditional pasta dish made with poblano peppers, cilantro, crema, and cheese. A classic Mexican side dish that brings color and flavor to any table.
What I love about Mexican green spaghetti is the combination of flavors: roasted poblano peppers for a mild smoky taste, cilantro for freshness, and a creamy sauce that brings everything together. It is a unique pasta dish with a flavor that feels truly Mexican.
Like espagueti rojo and espagueti blanco, green spaghetti is a classic Mexican side dish often served at weddings, birthdays, and family gatherings.
Ingredients
- Poblano peppers — the main ingredient for the green sauce.
- Spaghetti pasta
- Mexican crema
- Cilantro
- Garlic and onion
- Chicken stock — or water with chicken bouillon.
How To Make Mexican Green Spaghetti
Wash the poblano peppers and roast them until the skin is charred and blistered. You can roast them in the oven, directly over a flame, or on a comal or pan.
Place the roasted peppers in a bag or covered container for 10–15 minutes. The steam will soften the skin and make them easier to peel. Remove the skin, seeds, and veins.
Blend the roasted poblano peppers with Mexican crema, garlic, cilantro, and chicken stock until smooth and creamy.
Heat butter in a large pan and add the poblano sauce. Season with salt and pepper, then simmer for about 5 minutes until slightly thickened.
Cook the spaghetti in salted water according to the package instructions. Drain and add it to the pan with the green sauce.
Mix until the pasta is completely coated with the creamy poblano sauce.
Transfer the Mexican green spaghetti to a serving dish and garnish with queso fresco and chopped cilantro.
Kitchen Notes & Tips
- Do not skip roasting the poblano peppers. This is what gives the sauce its smoky flavor and makes the green spaghetti taste so special.
- If you cannot find Mexican crema, you can make a quick substitute by mixing heavy cream with a little lime juice and salt. Let it rest for a few minutes before using.
- If your sauce is too thick after blending, add a little more chicken stock until it reaches a creamy consistency.
- For a richer version, add cream cheese to the sauce. This is a popular variation in Mexico and makes the spaghetti extra creamy.
- Poblano peppers can vary in flavor and heat, so taste the sauce before mixing it with the pasta and adjust the crema if needed.
- Cook the spaghetti until just tender, since it will continue cooking a little when mixed with the warm sauce.
- In Mexico, it is very common to use chicken bouillon (such as Knorr Suiza) to add flavor to the sauce. If you have it available, dissolve it in water and use it instead of chicken broth.
What To Serve With
Mexican green spaghetti is usually served as a side dish, especially during celebrations and family meals. Its creamy poblano sauce pairs beautifully with roasted meats, chicken, pork, and seafood.
For special occasions, it is delicious alongside dishes like Mexican Christmas turkey or pierna adobada. The creamy pasta is a perfect match for these rich and flavorful main dishes.
For a simpler meal, you can enjoy it with chori pollo, or even on its own with soft bollitos rolls on the side. The sauce is perfect for soaking up with warm bread.
How To Store & Reheat
Mexican green spaghetti keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days when stored in an airtight container.
You can also prepare the creamy poblano sauce up to 3 days ahead. Keep it refrigerated, then reheat it gently, add the cooked pasta, and mix until well coated.
To reheat leftovers, warm them in a pan over medium heat with a splash of milk or chicken stock to bring the sauce back to its creamy consistency.
FAQ
What is green spaghetti called in Mexico?
In Mexico, green spaghetti is called espagueti verde. It is also sometimes known as pasta poblana because the sauce is made with poblano peppers.
Is spicy?
Not usually. Poblano peppers are much milder than jalapeños, although their heat can vary from pepper to pepper. Removing the seeds and veins also helps reduce the spiciness.
Can I freeze the leftovers?
I don’t recommend freezing it because the creamy sauce can change texture when thawed.
More Mexican Pasta Recipes
If you love Mexican green spaghetti, you might also enjoy these other creamy and flavorful pasta dishes that are perfect for family meals and celebrations.
Prefer to read this recipe in Spanish? Check out my Espagueti Verde con Chile Poblano recipe.
Mexican Green Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 12 oz spaghetti
- 2 large poblano peppers
- 1 cup Mexican crema (or sour cream)
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 garlic clove
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- queso fresco (or the cheese you prefer)
Instructions
- Roast the poblano peppers until the skin is charred. Cover and let them steam for 10–15 minutes, then peel off the skin and remove the seeds and veins.
- Blend the roasted peppers with the Mexican crema, cilantro, garlic, and chicken stock until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Pour in the poblano sauce, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in salted water according to the package directions. Drain well.
- Add the cooked spaghetti to the skillet and toss until every strand is coated with the creamy poblano sauce.
- Serve immediately with crumbled queso fresco and, if you like, a little chopped cilantro.
Notes
- Roasting the poblano peppers is what gives the sauce its smoky flavor, so don’t skip this step.
- If you can’t find Mexican crema, use sour cream or make a quick substitute with heavy cream, a little lime juice, and salt.
- If the sauce is too thick, stir in a little more chicken broth until it reaches the consistency you like.
- For an extra creamy version, blend in 8 oz (225 g) of cream cheese.
- For a spicier sauce, roast 1 or 2 jalapeños with the poblano peppers and blend them together.
Nutrition Information
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I love this spaghetti but besides grilled or breaded chicken what other sides can you serve?
Hi Sandra, you can serve it with pork chops (pan fried, baked, grilled, etc), fish or shrimp (stemed, grilled, baked, etc), or even beef (steak, shredded beef, meatloaf, meatballs, etc).
Those are some recipes you can look here on my blog that will go perfect with espagueti verde:
-Camarones al mojo de ajo
-Albondigas en chipotle sauce
-Camarones a la plancha
-Pollo a la mostaza
-Chuletas a la Mexicana
-Choripollo
Hope that helps! :)
Whole family loves this spaghetti. My vegetarian daughter gobbles it up and my partner eats it up when I add some breaded chicken on the side. I’ve even spiced it up by adding chiles serranos and then my partner (who enjoys spicy food) loves it even more. Definitely on regular rotation in our home.
Hi Rosa, I’m glad you all enjoy this spaghetti, is one of my favorites too!
Delicious! I love roasted peppers (the smell of them grilling alone sets me off!). Made this as a side dish with some sausages and was perfect. My “new Alfredo” sauce!😋😋
As a pasta lover, I am always looking for new pasta recipes to try. The poblano sauce gives the dish such a unique flavor. Thanks for sharing!
For clarification- you use the entire bunch of cilantro when blending the sauce?
Hi Kristi, I used a small bunch but it really depends how your cilantro taste, I’ve noticed a difference between the cilantro I buy here in Italy and the one I buy in Mexico. You might want to add first a little bit then taste the sauce and blend more if needed. I’ll add a note about that in the recipe card later.
Delicious! I squeezed fresh lime juice on when serving! Would be amazing with tequila lime grilled shrimp or chicken!
What do you mean by or regular cream? There’s many different creams you could be referring too.
Delicioso! Just enough heat to be different; one serving is not enough! Thanks for sharing.
All time favorite
You can also add cream cheese for a kid friendly version or cheese lover!! ;)
My absolute favorite since my friends abuela made for me when prego with twins!!!!! I have a habit of adding more spicy so I love jalapeño and clean one and Blanche it with green tomatoes and my serrano peppers. I add sour cream and a lime in the side too!!! my all time favorite quick comfort food!!!!
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!
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.
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!
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.
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 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 :)
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 :)
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!