Creamy Mexican Green Spaghetti Recipe
This creamy Mexican green spaghetti recipe brings pure comfort to the table. Roasted poblano peppers, cilantro, and crema Mexicana blend into a vibrant, silky sauce that is perfectly balanced.
Equipment
- Blender
- Large Pot
- Baking sheet or tongs for roasting
Ingredients
- 1 lb spaghetti
- 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
- 4 poblano peppers
- 1 cup cilantro (leaves only)
- ½ onion, roughly chopped
- 1 cup crema Mexicana or sour cream
- 1 box (8 oz) cream cheese
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 cube chicken (or veggie) bouillon
- ½-1 cup milk or water
- 1-2 serrano or jalapeño peppers (optional)
- Cotija cheese, for garnish
Instructions
Cook the pasta
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the spaghetti according to the package directions until it reaches an al dente pasta texture. Before draining, save some of the pasta water for later, then toss the noodles with the butter or olive oil so they stay loose and do not clump together.
Roast the peppers and aromatics
- While the pasta cooks, roast the poblano peppers until the skins are thoroughly blistered and blackened in spots. If you are using serrano or jalapeño peppers, roast them too for a mellower heat, or leave them raw if you want a brighter, sharper kick.
- Roast the onion and garlic alongside the peppers until they pick up color and smell sweet and fragrant. This extra step gives the final sauce a deeper, softer flavor that tastes far more polished than using them raw.
Blend the green sauce
- Add the roasted peppers, roasted onion, roasted garlic, cilantro, crema Mexicana or sour cream, cream cheese, chicken bouillon, the optional serranos or jalapeños, and ½ cup of milk or reserved pasta water to a blender. Blend until the mixture looks smooth, creamy, and evenly green, with no obvious chunks left behind.
Simmer and finish
- Pour the blender sauce into a large pot over medium-low heat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let it come to a gentle simmer, not a hard boil, then add the spaghetti and toss until every strand is coated, adding more milk or pasta water if the sauce tightens up too much.
- Right before serving, stir in a fresh squeeze of lime juice to brighten the sauce. Finish with Cotija cheese on top and serve while the pasta is hot and glossy.
Notes
Texture Tip: Cook the pasta only to al dente. The noodles will continue to soften slightly once they hit the warm poblano sauce, so stopping early keeps them from turning mushy.
Flavor Tip: Do not rinse the roasted poblanos under water to remove their skins. Doing so washes away the smoky flavor that is essential to the dish.
Simmering Tip: Do not boil the sauce hard after blending. High heat can cause the cream cheese and crema to separate, so keep the pot at a gentle simmer for a smooth finish.
Storage Tip: Leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Freezing is not recommended because the dairy-based sauce tends to separate and become grainy when thawed.
Nutrition information is estimated based on common ingredients and serving sizes and may vary.