Espagueti Verde is an easy and delicious Mexican dish made with Spaghetti and a creamy non-spicy poblano sauce. Enjoy it as a side dish or as the main meal.
🗒️ In This Post
Pasta Verde
If you haven’t tried Espagueti Verde (aka green spaghetti) you are missing out!
This is an authentic Mexican recipe from the state of Puebla using roasted Chile poblanos. Serve it as a side dish or make it the star of the night as a one pot meal. Add some protein like shredded chicken or grilled shrimp and you’re good to go!
Espagueti Verde (Spaghetti in poblano sauce) starts with roasted poblanos blended into a creamy green sauce that clings to every strand of pasta, giving you a dinner that’s smoky, smooth, and satisfying. This version ties simple ingredients into a sauce that’s rich without feeling heavy and lets the poblano character shine. It’s a weeknight pasta you can pull together quickly, and the sauce comes together while the water boils.
The sauce is made by roasting fresh poblano peppers until their skins blister, then pulsing them with sautéed garlic, onion, a splash of broth, and a touch of cream until smooth and silky. A final sprinkle of fresh cheese and a squeeze of lime brightens the dish and balances the earthiness of the peppers with a clean finish.
Provecho!
♥️ xo, Ana
***This post was originally published on Dec 2015. It has been updated to be more helpful.
Featured comment:
“I made this for my family today. I used the double recipe but I only had 3 poblano peppers. I also added 2 Serrano peppers and just 12 Oz of cream cheese. My family loved it so much. I don’t cook with pasta anymore and today was a total hit.”
Rosario
Recipe Notes
| Prep ⏰ | Cook ⏲️ | Rest ⏱️ | Total Time |
| 10 mins | 30 mins | 0 mins | 40 mins |
🍽️ Servings: 4 people
⭐️ Difficulty: Easy-Moderate
♥️ What’s to love: Creamy, smoky, and easy to make, this roasted poblano spaghetti feels comforting without being heavy.
🛒 Featured Ingredients: Roasted poblano peppers, spaghetti, cream cheese, milk, garlic, onions, queso fresco and some seasonings.
**You’ll find the complete recipe and ingredient list in the card at the end.**
How To Make Espagueti Verde
- Start by roasting the poblano peppers. See instructions with different methods below or just check this post on roasting peppers.
When done drop in a plastic bag and close it to let them sweat for about 5 minutes.
Take out of the bag and peel skin with fingers. Most of the skin will fall right off but it’s okay if you have a little burnt skin left. It makes the sauce more delicious!
- Meanwhile cook the pasta
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil with the salt.
- Add pasta and cook for the length of time per the packet.
- Just before draining, scoop out 1 cup of of the pasta cooking water and reserve.
- Drain pasta in a colander.
While the pasta is cooking make the creamy poblano sauce
- To a blender add the onion, garlic, milk, roasted poblanos and chicken bullion. Blend until a creamy consistency is reached.
- Transfer poblano mixture to a large sauce pan and cook over low-medium heat for about 3 minutes.
- Drop the cream cheese block and stir until it’s all melted. Cook for another 2 minutes on low heat.
Note: the consistency will be creamy but not too thick. You want it to fall off the spoon when tilted to the side.
- Add the pasta and toss gently until it’s all combined.
If you have leftovers, this is when the saved pasta water comes in handy. Save it for later and add a little to the pasta when reheating to bring back the creaminess.
How To Roast The Peppers
To roast poblano peppers over an open flame, arrange peppers directly over the flame. Using tongs, turn the peppers occasionally until all sides are blackened and blistered (this is my preferred method)
- To roast the peppers under the oven broiler, arrange an oven rack 6 inches from the broiler and preheat on HIGH. Broil the peppers until the tops are blackened and blistered but not ash white, about 5 minutes. Turn the peppers every few minutes until all sides are blackened.
- To roast the peppers in the oven, preheat oven to 500 degrees. Arrange the whole peppers in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the skins are blackened and blistered, turning occasionally for even roasting.
Ana’s Recipe Tips
- Peppers Substitute: Typically this recipe is made with roasted poblano peppers but you can use others such as jalapeños, anaheim, even bell pepper. A combination of two also results in a wonderful depth of flavors. Get creative and use your favorite ones!
- Spaghetti substitute: Use spaghetti or any other pastas like ziti, penne, rotini, etc.
- Storing: If the pasta is still warm, make sure it is completely cool before you close the container.
- Fridge– Store in a container with a tight-fitting lid or a zip-top bag . Cooked pasta should last three to five days stored in the refrigerator.
- To reheat on the stove: Heat 3 tablespoons of milk per portion of creamy pasta until just simmering. Microwave the pasta for 5-10 seconds while the milk heats. Add the pasta to the pan of hot milk, stirring vigorously until the sauce re-emulsifies.
What to serve with Pasta Verde
Serve this Espagueti Verde as a side dish or a main dish by adding any grilled meat. Here are other recipe pairing ideas:
- Calabacitas for a vegetarian meal
- Entomatadas as an alternative to Mexican Rice
- Melon-Pepino Agua Fresca for a green feast!
Print Recipe:
Espagueti Verde (Spaghetti in Poblano Sauce)
Equipment
- Blender
- Pasta Pot
- Medium saucepan
Ingredients
- 8 oz Spaghetti, cooked
- 3 Poblano peppers
- ½ cup Milk - 2% or full fat
- ½ Medium onion (white or yellow) - chopped
- 1 8 oz Reduced fat cream cheese pacakge
- 1 teaspoon Chicken flavor bouillon
- 2 Garlic cloves - peeled & chopped
- 1 cup Queso Fresco (crumbled) - for topping
- Fresh cilantro leaves - optional for garnish
Instructions
Roast the Poblano Pepper
- Place the poblano directly on the gas stove (see other methods on the notes section). Using tongs, turn the peppers occasionally until all sides are blackened and blistered.
- When done drop in a plastic bag and close it to let them sweat for about 5 minutes. Take out of the bag and either peel skin with fingers or rinse under cool water. The skin falls right off.
Cooking the Pasta
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil with the salt.
- Add pasta and cook for the length of time per the packet.
- Just before draining, scoop out 1 cup of of the pasta cooking water.
- Drain pasta in a colander, leave it for a minute under the cold water. This will stop the cooking process and will prevent the pasta from sticking together.
While the pasta is cooking
make the Creamy Poblano Sauce
- To a blender add the onion, garlic, milk, roasted poblanos and chicken bullion
- Blend until a creamy consistency is reached.
- Transfer poblano mixture to a large sauce pan and cook over low-medium heat for about 3 minutes.
- Add the cream cheese and stir until it's all melted. Cook for another 2 minutes on low heat.
- Add the pasta and toss until it's all combined.
- Add a little of the reserved pasta water if it dries up when you reheat it.
- Serve warm and top with queso fresco or cotija. Garnish with cilantro if desired.
Video
Notes
-
To roast the peppers under the oven broiler, arrange an oven rack 6 inches from the broiler and preheat on HIGH. Broil the peppers until the tops are blackened and blistered but not ash white, about 5 minutes. Turn the peppers every few minutes until all sides are blackened.
-
To roast the peppers in the oven, preheat oven to 500 degrees. Arrange the whole peppers in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the skins are blackened and blistered, turning occasionally for even roasting.
Your Private Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. You can roast the poblanos and make the creamy poblano sauce up to a few days in advance and keep it in the fridge, then boil fresh pasta and combine when you’re ready to eat.
Generally it’s mild. Poblanos are usually not very hot, and the creamy sauce balances whatever mild heat there is. But occasionally a pepper can be spicier than usual.
Yes. Use vegetable bouillon, plant-based cream or sour cream alternatives, and swap out dairy for vegan options to keep it dairy-free and vegan.
Side Dishes Recipes
I hope you like this recipe! Share it, or leave a rating and comment below. For questions that need an answer right away, please contact me and I’ll get back to you asap. Gracias!!!! xx, Ana
I add chicken, and it was delicious!
oh great idea on adding chicken Jacqueline! Thanks so much for your review! xo, Ana
Love this recipe! I roast all the ingredients in air fryer while pasta is cooking. We grill some chicken on the side for added protein. So good!
My girlfriend is hooked on this recipe. I add some jalapeños and serranos to the mix to give it an extra kick, and we’re eating this once a week now
I tried this recipe. 1/2 a medium onion was way too much. Unfortunately it left my spaghetti with an overbearing taste of onion in a spicy kind of way. I thought the onion flavor would mellow once cooked but it didn’t really. 1/4 of an onion would’ve been much better in my opinion.
Loved it!
But I put my own twist to it 🙂
Love this recipe. My wonderful neighbors shared this with us for Thanksgiving. Our family loved it! What type of protein can I serve with this? Is it traditional served as meal? Thanks in advance.
This was really good but I put less sauce on the pasta so I had leftover sauce. I tried the sauce on a corn tortilla with cotija cheese in top and I think I enjoyed it even more than with pasta.
Thank you iris for giving this espagueti verde a try! I’m delighted that you liked it. You can make tacos with the pasta and the poblano sauce… two in one jaja! Thanks for the review! ((hugs)) Ana
I added too much chicken bouillon how do I make it less salty?
Please help
Oh no! So sorry to hear that! Here are a few tips that may help when too much bouillon is added:
1) The most straightforward way to reduce the intensity of the bouillon flavor is to dilute it by adding more of the other ingredients. Add more milk, cream cheese and maybe a poblano. These are the main ingredients. Be aware that it’ll be extra saucy!
2) If you don’t want to dilute the flavor too much, consider increasing the overall size of your recipe. This means adding more of all the other ingredients while keeping the proportion of bouillon to a minimum.
3) A little acid, like lemon or lime juice, can help cut through the saltiness and add some brightness to the dish. Start with a small amount and taste as you go to avoid over-acidifying the dish.
Good luck and let me know how it turns out.
Great recipe just reference to tell people to add salt outside of the salted pasta water! Thank you!
Great recipe!
Although, I had to add an avocado to achieve that green color I was looking for… Otherwise, perfect!
Thank you for this! I look forward to making your other dishes!
Delicious 😋😋😋 my family loves this espagueti verde recipe ❤️❤️❤️
Perfection – It was a hit at my house and will be making this more often.
Aaay Delicioso!!!!
Gracias!!!
Came out very oniony! I think I may have added a bit too much white onion (it would be good to clarify in the recipe type of onion, and if half of medium, small or large onion!) but overall was inedible for me because the raw onion flavor overpowered everything. Maybe cooking the onion before blending would help?
Hi Jocelyn, sorry to hear the recipe didn’t turned out for you. It’s the first time I hear it was too much onion. The recipe card does mention that is half of a medium onion so perhaps you missed that? What size onion and what type did you use? Sometimes if you use an onion that is not ripe yet, it will give a very strong taste to a dish. I hope you give this recipe a try one more time!
i would roast the onion & garlic first (maybe along w/ the peppers in the oven to save time) to get rid of the raw onion taste. i do not like the flavor of raw onion so it’s what i’ve done in the past w/ salsas, stews, soups that call for fresh onion to be blended.
This is muy delish！My new go-to instead of regular spaghetti.
Girl!! I made this for my family today. I used the double recipe but I only had 3 poblano peppers. I also added 2 Serrano peppers and just 12 Oz of cream cheese. My family loved it so much. I don’t cook with pasta anymore and today was a total hit.
Excellent recipe for espagueti verde. Gracias for NOT including cilantro. Instead if cream cheese and milk you can use crema (heavy whipping cream or crema mexicana that’s not too sour).
Thos green spaghetti turned out delicois! My family devoured it and is asking for it again lol! Thanks for the recipe Ana!!
I love all the flavors in this spaghetti!
Will always choose to have pasta for the holiday season! Will surely try it! Thanks for sharing.
We love this spaghetti. So easy and delicious. Of course we love poblano peppers.
I love pasta although I hadn’t tried spaghetti verde but it turned out absolutely delicious!
My husband and I loved this. It was so flavorful and easy to make as well. I added 2 poblano peppers and one jalapeno pepper for more heat, and it was absolutely delicious. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe!
So good to hear this Sana! I’m so happy it was a hit! XOXO 🙂
Thank you Ana for this amazing recipe! So good! Can’t wait to make this again!!
Can’t wait to make this recipe!
Yay!!! You’ll love it Ilse! XOXO
Simplemente delicioso!
I’m so glad you liked this Espagueti Verde Tina! Muchas gracias!
The Espagueti Verde was a total hit with my family!! ❤ Love your recipes & truly enjoy reading your blog! I always look forward to it!
Yay! This makes me so happy to hear this Cecy! Thanks so much for the feedback! XOXO
Wow oh man I’ve been looking for a new pasta dish and this Green Spaghetti turned out incredible!!
Thank you Tracy!!! It’s so good huh? stay well!
wow this spaghetti looking so mouth-watering, want to grab it now and literally you made me crave for more.
Thanks so much! i’m sure you’ll love it
This flavorful dish had me salivating before I even headed to the kitchen to make it! This easy recipe is so darn good. I’d give it 10 stars if I could!
This makes me so happy Denay! I can give it 10 stars too lol! Thanks so much for the feedback. xo, ana
Yummy! I love spaghetti and with this sauce it makes it so much better. I loved this recipe! Thank you!
You are so welcome Beth! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! XOXO, Ana
This sounds delicious and different from usual marinara. Will be trying it soon!
Thanks so much Biana! You’ll love it! I also get tired of marinara and it’s a great way to change this up. Stay well!
Blown away again! Stop with all these new side dishes. You’re killing me.
Thank you Pablo! It is amazing huh?
Muy Buena la salsa!!!
Me encanta
Gracias!!
Thank you Maria! I’m so glad you got to enjoy it!
I tried your recipe before and its delicious! Wasn’t spicy at all!
Thanks so much Monica! I appreciate it!