Name: Espagueti Verde | Green Spaghetti | Spaghetti in Creamy Poblano Sauce
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Ingredients: Water; 2 Poblano Peppers, halved, seeds removed; 1 Jalapeño Pepper, halved, seeds removed; 4 Garlic Cloves, peeled; ½ Yellow Onion, peeled and cut into large chunks; Extra Virgin Olive Oil; Kosher Salt; Black Pepper; 6 oz Cooked Spaghetti; ½ cup Pasta Water from Cooking the Spaghetti; ½ cup Chopped Cilantro (plus more for topping); ½ cup Heavy Cream; ½ cup Crema Mexicana; 8 oz Cream Cheese, softened; 1 tablespoon Lime Juice (or the juice of one small lime); ½ teaspoon Oregano; ½ teaspoon Cumin; 1 teaspoon Chicken Bullion; Crumbled Cotija or Queso Fresco, to taste

This delicious pasta dish hails from the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas and takes on many names: Espagueti Verde, Green Spaghetti, Pasta Poblana, or Espaghetti Verde. Whatever you call it, it’s darn good! Perfectly cooked spaghetti in a creamy and flavorful poblano sauce. It’s even better topped with Cotija cheese or queso fresco. Try it out today and discover why it’s so beloved!

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Green Spaghetti in a white bowl with a fork, topped with cilantro and queso fresco. — **This delicious pasta dish hails from the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas and takes on many names: Espagueti Verde, Green Spaghetti, Pasta Poblana, or Espaghetti Verde.**

Peace, family!

In case you’re new here, I am absolutely in love with peppers of all kinds. For example: chicken poblano soup, Peruvian green sauce, quick pickled jalapeños , stuffed pepper soup… I can’t get enough. I even have a couple of varieties growing in my own backyard. So when I first tasted Espagueti Verde during my time living in south Texas it was no surprise that I experienced love at first bite. If you’re scratching your head wondering what this dish is all about, then fret not. Your internet bestie is here to give you all the deets.

What is Green Spaghetti?

Green spaghetti, also called espagueti verde, pasta poblana, or espaghetti verde is a dish compromising of spaghetti noodles in a creamy poblano sauce. There is even an extremely similar Guatemalan recipe; macarrones verdes as well as a Peruvian dish called tallarines verdes. The dish originated in central Mexico, and is a true staple of the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas (specifically, Brownsville, TX). Most of us simply call this area “The Valley.” Cities in The Valley include Brownsville, Harlingen, Donna, Weslaco, Pharr, McAllen, Edinburg, Mission, and Rio Grande City.

Green Spaghetti in a white bowl with a fork, topped with cilantro and queso fresco with fork.

In Mexico, this dish is commonly served with pork chops or Milanesa. If you’re lucky, you can find a friend or family member to whip some up for you, as I did. While living in San Antonio, TX my coworker from Brownsville first introduced me to the dish and was gracious enough to share her recipe. Over time, I’ve tested and adjusted it to even more of my liking. Follow this recipe to make it yourself! Amazingly enough, I now live near a Mexican market in north Texas that stocks every traditional ingredient that I could ever need. But even if you don’t, these ingredients are common enough that you should be able to easily locate them at your local supermarket.

What Ingredients Do I Need?

Poblano peppers, chicken bullion, heavy cream, onion, cilantro, lime juice, cream cheese, Crema Mexicana, garlic, and jalapeño peppers on a white cutting board. — Ingredients for espagueti verdi include poblano peppers, chicken bullion, heavy cream, onion, cilantro, lime juice, cream cheese, Crema Mexicana, garlic, and jalapeño peppers.

To make Espagueti Verde, you will need the following:

Water – for cooking the spaghetti. You will want to reserve a portion of the pasta water to add to your sauce.
Poblano Peppers – this dish is traditionally prepared with poblano peppers. Depending on where you are, you may also see it prepared with hatch chiles.
Jalapeño Pepper – I add one jalapeño to my sauce for depth of flavor.
Garlic Cloves – I rarely cook without the use of garlic. For this recipe there is no mincing involved. Simply peel the garlic cloves and leave them whole.
Yellow Onion – I roast my onion alongside the peppers to develop more flavor.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – for roasted the peppers, garlic, and onion.
Kosher Salt – you will notice that I do not include measurements for salt in this recipe. I find chicken bullion to be high in sodium, so I leave the rest to your own taste. I will say this: generously salt your pasta water, use a pinch of salt when roasting the peppers, garlic, and onion, and when your sauce is completed, taste it and add salt to tase.
Black Pepper
Cooked Spaghetti – I will add some tips for cooking packaged spaghetti below.
Pasta Water from Cooking the Spaghetti – adding pasta water helps achieve the correct consistency for your sauce. It also assists with having the pasta and sauce cling together.
Chopped Cilantro
Heavy Cream
Crema Mexicana – (Mexican cream) this is a smooth cream with a very mild flavor; it’s thinner and more fluid than sour cream.
Cream Cheese – adds a lot of thickness
Lime Juice
Oregano
Cumin
Chicken Bullion
Crumbled Cotija or Queso Fresco – for topping the completed dish.

Queso fresco translates to “fresh cheese.”

How to Make Espagueti Verde or “Green Spaghetti”

Begin by preheating your oven to 400° F
At the same time, go ahead and bring a large pot of water to a boil on the stovetop.
As the oven preheats and the water boils, prep the vegetables and aromatics: wash the poblano and jalapeño peppers; slice them in half and remove the seeds. Peel the garlic cloves. Peel the papery outer layer of the onion; slice the onion in half and cut into large chunks. Note: I do not peel the skin from my peppers after cooking.
To a large baking sheet, add the halved poblano peppers, halved jalapeños, garlic cloves, and onion pieces. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt and black pepper.Place into the preheated oven and roast for 20 minutes. The vegetables should develop a slight char.

Roasted onion, garlic, jalapeno, and poblano peppers on a foil-lined baking sheet. — Roasting the poblano peppers, jalapeño, garlic, and onion adds more depth of flavor.

To the boiling water, add the spaghetti and cook according to package instructions or your preferred method. After cooking, reserve a ½ cup of the pasta water and set aside.
To a blender or food processor, add the roasted vegetables and cilantro. Pulse until a thick, chucky, pesto-like mixture forms. If you prefer, you can also choose to blend until completely smooth.

Roasted onion, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, and poblano peppers in a food processor.

To a large saucepan, over medium heat, add the heavy cream, crema mexicana, cream cheese, and lime juice.
Stir frequently as the cream cheese melts/dissolves into the sauce.

Upper Left: Chunks of cream cheese dissolving into sauce. Upper Right: Smooth cream sauce. Lower Left: Vegetable mixture being added to sauce. Bottom Right: Creamy and smooth poblano sauce.

Add the vegetable mixture from the blender, oregano, cumin, and chicken bullion to the sauce, stirring until the ingredients are well-incorporated and one creamy sauce forms.
Taste the sauce and add salt to taste. I recommend adding ⅛ teaspoon at a time and tasting before adjusting.
Toss the cooked pasta on the creamy poblano sauce and serve topped with additional cilantro and crumbled cotija cheese or queso fresco, to taste.

Tips for Cooking Packaged Spaghetti

Here are some tips I gathered from personal experience and from around the web:

Salt your pasta water! Add more salt than you think you need; much of it will be drained away.
Some cooks prefer to undercook their pasta and allow it to finish cooking in the sauce.
Stir while cooking to prevent clumping.
For more of a challenge, try for hand at fresh pasta.
Taste your pasta as it cooks to ensure that it’s actually al dente and not too mushy.

How to Make a Low-Carb or Keto-Friendly Green Spaghetti

To reduce the carb count in this dish, consider swapping out the noodles for roasted spaghetti squash.

Roasted spaghetti squash, halved, on a wooden cutting board with cilantro in the foreground. — Roasted spaghetti squash makes an excellent pasta substitution for those who are watching their carb intake

Serving Suggestions

This dish can be served alone, as-is or alongside your favorite protein option. In my family, we enjoying de-boning a store-bought rotisserie chicken and stirring the chicken into this pasta after cooking.

Try it out and let me know what you think! When you make it, be sure to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram or Facebook!

Peace,

Adri

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6 Servings