Mexican green spaghetti coats pasta in a creamy sauce made from roasted poblano peppers, spinach, cilantro, sour cream, and cream cheese. The sauce gets its color from vegetables and herbs rather than green pasta dough. A small jalapeno or serrano can add heat, depending on your preference.
This Mexican green spaghetti recipe includes roasting and peeling the peppers before blending. The finished pound of pasta makes eight side portions or four very large mains. Starting with already roasted, peeled peppers shortens preparation, but that shortcut is not the basis of the full timing below.
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Why This Recipe Works
Mexican green spaghetti works best when the poblanos are properly roasted and their loose blackened skins are removed. The soft pepper flesh blends into a smoother sauce than raw chunks with tough skins.
Cream cheese is added to the warmed blended sauce in stages. This lets each set of cubes melt before more goes in. Reserved pasta water is used only as needed to loosen the final coating, not automatically poured in as a full extra cup.
Ingredients for Mexican Green Spaghetti
Use four poblano peppers, one pound of dry spaghetti, fresh spinach, and a small bunch of cilantro. Reserve two tablespoons of chopped cilantro from that bunch if you want the optional garnish. The quarter cup of chopped onion clarifies the small amount intended for this sauce.
For Mexican green spaghetti, use block cream cheese softened and cubed. Start with two-thirds cup milk or half-and-half and add up to the remaining third cup only if the blender needs it. Choose chicken or vegetable bouillon granules; a cube is an alternative only if its label gives an equivalent strength.
Pasta and sauce
- 4 pieces poblano peppers (Raw; roast, peel, and seed as instructed, or use equivalent prepared peppers)
- 1 pound dry spaghetti
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped onion (White or yellow; volume clarifies the small onion amount)
- 1 piece jalapeño pepper or serrano pepper (stemmed, seeded, and chopped) (Adjust based on desired spiciness.)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 cup spinach leaves
- 1 small bunch cilantro (Washed; reserve 2 tablespoons chopped for optional garnish if desired)
- 8 ounces sour cream or crema Mexicana
- 1 teaspoon chicken or vegetable bouillon granules (OR one cube only if its label gives equivalent seasoning strength; do not add both)
- 2/3 to 1 cup milk or half and half (Begin with ⅔ cup; use the remainder only if needed)
- 8 ounces cream cheese (softened and cut into small cubes)
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- as needed water (For pasta boiling; reserve 1 cup before draining)
Optional toppings
- 1/4 cup crumbled cotija cheese or queso fresco (Optional topping)
- 2 tablespoons Pepitas (Optional topping)
How to Make Mexican Green Spaghetti
Roast the poblanos at 425°F until their skins blister and darken, turning occasionally. Steam briefly in a covered heatproof bowl, then peel, remove stems and seeds, and let them cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, soften onion and the small hot pepper in oil, followed by garlic and spinach.
Cool the aromatics before blending with peppers, cilantro, sour cream, bouillon, and the initial milk. Do not seal boiling liquid in a blender; follow the appliance’s limits. Warm the smooth sauce gently, melt in cream cheese, then toss cooked spaghetti through it. Mexican green spaghetti should have a sauce that clings while still letting the strands move, so add reserved pasta water gradually.
How to Serve
Serve Mexican green spaghetti immediately as eight sides, or divide into four very generous main bowls. Optional measured cilantro, crumbled cheese, and pepitas go on at serving, providing a contrast to the smooth sauce.
If serving beside another rich dish, keep the pasta portions smaller. The written sauce already includes substantial dairy, so a topping is optional rather than needed for creaminess. The heat level is variable; removing pepper membranes helps, but individual peppers can still differ.
Storage
Refrigerate Mexican green spaghetti within two hours and use within three to four days. Store covered in shallow portions so the pasta and dairy sauce cool promptly.
Reheat gently with a small splash of milk or water, stirring and reaching 165°F throughout. Low heat protects the sauce’s texture while proper final temperature handles leftovers. Freezing is not preferred because the cream mixture may separate and the pasta softens.
Recipe and pepper-preparation credit: Kathy McDaniel, Lemon Blossoms, Mexican Green Spaghetti. For dairy leftovers and chilling, see FDA safe food handling guidance.
Tips and Variations
For Mexican green spaghetti, roast peppers ahead and refrigerate them if you want a simpler serving day. Keep the blended sauce and cooked pasta separate until shortly before serving for a better coating.
This is not automatically gluten-free or vegetarian: ordinary spaghetti contains wheat, and chicken bouillon contains chicken ingredients. A different dietary version needs suitable ingredient choices and label checks. The written recipe does not claim a validated dairy-free substitution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the peppers roasted in the recipe?
Yes. Mexican green spaghetti includes the oven-roasting, steaming, peeling, and seeding steps. Already prepared peppers let you skip those steps.
Should all pasta water be added?
No. Reserve one cup, but add only enough to loosen the sauce. The whole cup is an available allowance rather than a mandatory ingredient addition.
Can I blend the sauce while boiling hot?
Let the components cool first and follow your blender instructions. Mexican green spaghetti does not require trapping steam in a tightly sealed blender container.
How many portions does it make?
A pound of pasta and the full sauce are counted as eight sides. Four main bowls are possible, but they are very generous portions.
Can I use a bouillon cube?
Use granules as measured, or check a cube label for equivalent seasoning strength. Do not add both a cube and a teaspoon of granules.
More Recipes to Try
- Pasta with Spinach Sauce, Cream Cheese, and Parmesan
- Roasted Red Pepper Pasta with Cottage Cheese and Spinach
- Stuffed Poblano Peppers
- Creamy Garlic Parmesan Pasta
Creamy Mexican Green Spaghetti
Ingredients
Pasta and sauce
- 4 pieces poblano peppers Raw; roast, peel, and seed as instructed, or use equivalent prepared peppers
- 1 pound dry spaghetti
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped onion White or yellow; volume clarifies the small onion amount
- 1 piece jalapeño pepper or serrano pepper (stemmed, seeded, and chopped) Adjust based on desired spiciness.
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 cup spinach leaves
- 1 small bunch cilantro Washed; reserve 2 tablespoons chopped for optional garnish if desired
- 8 ounces sour cream or crema Mexicana
- 1 teaspoon chicken or vegetable bouillon granules OR one cube only if its label gives equivalent seasoning strength; do not add both
- 2/3 to 1 cup milk or half and half Begin with ⅔ cup; use the remainder only if needed
- 8 ounces cream cheese (softened and cut into small cubes)
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- as needed water For pasta boiling; reserve 1 cup before draining
Optional toppings
- 1/4 cup crumbled cotija cheese or queso fresco Optional topping
- 2 tablespoons Pepitas Optional topping
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Roast whole poblanos on a foil-lined tray about 35–40 minutes, turning occasionally, until skins are blistered and dark. Put in a covered heatproof bowl for 10–12 minutes, then peel, remove stems and seeds, and cool until comfortable to handle.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet. Soften the measured chopped onion and jalapeno or serrano about 3 minutes, then add garlic and spinach for 2 minutes. Take off heat and cool until lukewarm.
- Reserve 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro from the listed bunch if desired. Blend the remaining cilantro with prepared poblanos, cooled skillet mixture, sour cream, bouillon, and ⅔ cup milk. Add some of the remaining milk only if needed. Use the blender within its temperature and fill limits.
- Cook spaghetti in water according to package directions. Before draining, reserve 1 cup cooking water.
- Warm the blended sauce over medium-low heat. Add half the cream cheese cubes and stir until melted, then add the rest. Heat gently about 4 minutes and season to taste.
- Toss drained spaghetti into the sauce. Loosen with small additions of reserved pasta water if needed. Serve as 8 side portions with optional reserved cilantro, ¼ cup crumbled cheese, and 2 tablespoons pepitas.
