Pasta for Two with A Mexican Twist
If you’re looking for a deliciously easy, meatless dinner idea for two, you’re in the right place. Our version of green spaghetti (aka Espagueti Verde) is filled with fresh, Mexican-inspired flavors, and goes from kitchen to table in just about 45 minutes.
Broiled poblano peppers and tomatillos combine with sautéed onion and garlic, fresh-squeezed lime juice, and a handful of cilantro to make a light and flavorful sauce that’s perfect for tossing together with some pasta. The poblanos bring a touch of mild heat, blending nicely with the citrusy flavor of the tomatillos and lime, and the herby notes of fresh cilantro. When it comes to pasta, thin spaghetti (or angel hair) is our top pick for this dish because the sauce can coat it nicely, giving you plenty of flavor in every bite.
Many recipes for Mexican green spaghetti call for cream cheese in the sauce, but our touch of creaminess comes from a dollop of sour cream, which cools down the heat, balances the acidity, and brings everything together in a perfect harmony of flavors
What You’ll Need
In addition to thin spaghetti or angel har and a few common ingredients like garlic, onion, and olive oil, these are the special ingredients you’ll need to make Mexican green spaghetti:
- TOMATILLOS: Tomatillos are members of the tomato family and a popular ingredient in Mexican and Southwestern cuisines. They resemble small green tomatoes, but they are much firmer and covered by a thin papery husk. When shopping for tomatillos, look for firm, unblemished fruits with intact husks. Husks that have loosened from the fruit are not necessarily bad, just be sure to check the firmness and appearance of the tomatillo underneath. Tomatillos have a longer shelf life than tomatoes and can be stored in a paper bag in your refrigerator’s crisper for up to two weeks. Tomatillos have a mild citrus and herb flavor and can be served raw in salads and salsas, but cooking intensifies their flavor making them perfect for a savory sauce like this one, or the variation we serve with our Baked Chicken Flautas.
- POBLANO PEPPERS: Poblano peppers are very dark green chiles with a rather flat, triangular shape. They grow to be about 4 inches long and have a lively green pepper flavor and relatively mild heat. The peak season for poblanos is in late summer and early fall. When shopping, look for shiny skin free of soft spots and blemishes. And here’s something else to know about poblanos – when they’ve been dried, they’re called ancho chiles.
- FRESH LIME JUICE: Not all recipes for green spaghetti call for lime juice, but we feel it enhances the citrus flavor of the tomatillos and adds an overall freshness to the sauce.
- SCALLIONS: Even though there are sautéed onions in the puree, we add a handful of chopped scallions to the finished sauce for both texture and a touch of sweetness. You could leave them out if you prefer.
- CILANTRO: In our opinion, fresh cilantro is a big part of the flavor of this dish and we prefer to add it just before serving for maximum punch. You could also add it to the blender and puree it along with the tomatillos and poblano peppers. If you really don’t care for cilantro, replace it with parsley or omit it altogether.
- SOUR CREAM: Many recipes for green spaghetti call for cream cheese in the sauce. As much as we love cream cheese, we prefer to add a dollop of sour cream (we often use the reduced-fat version) to each serving of pasta and mix it in as we eat. It’s not quite as rich and you can adjust the creaminess to suit your taste.
How to Make Green Spaghetti
This is an overview of how this dish is made. Detailed measurements, ingredients, instructions, and times are available in the printable version of the recipe below.
- Position a rack about 6 inches from the top of the oven, preheat the broiler, and put a large pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta.
- Cover a broiler pan with aluminum foil, coat lightly with nonstick spray, arrange the poblanos, skin side up in a single layer, and broil the peppers until patches of the skin begin to blister and blacken.
- Remove the peppers from the oven, fold the edges of the foil up to form a sealed pouch, and set aside to steam the peppers. This will make it easier to remove the skin.
- While the peppers cool, arrange the quartered tomatillos on the broiler pan. Season with salt and pepper, broil until softened, then set aside to cool.
- While you’re preparing the poblanos and tomatillos, heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add the onion, and sauté until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, season lightly with salt and pepper, continue cooking until fragrant, then remove from the heat.
- Once the poblanos are cool enough to handle, peel off as much of the skin as possible, then rough chop them and place them in the work bowl of a food processor. Add the roasted tomatillos and the onion-garlic mixture (including the olive oil) and process to a salsa-like consistency. Transfer to a bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Cook and drain the pasta according to package directions, reserving a little of the cooking liquid for the sauce. Stir the reserved liquid, lime juice, and chopped scallions into the sauce.
- Pour about half of the sauce over the pasta, add the cilantro, and toss to combine.
- To serve, plate individual servings of pasta and divide the remaining sauce over the top. Top with a tablespoon of sour cream, garnish with lime wedges and serve immediately.
Note: Should you have any of the sauce left over, simply store it in the fridge for up to two days and serve it with tortilla chips.
Tips for Success
Broil the poblanos and tomatillos properly: To ensure a deep, rich flavor, be sure to get a slight char on your tomatillos and poblanos when broiling. This enhances the authentic Mexican flavors and adds a bit of smokiness.
Adjust the heat: Poblano peppers add mild heat to this dish, but you can adjust that a bit to suit your preferences. For a little more kick, leave some of the seeds in the peppers. For a milder sauce, remove them completely along with the interior ribs. Don’t forget a dollop of sour cream to round out the flavors when serving.
Green Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 6 ounces thin spaghetti, or angel hair
- 2 medium poblano peppers, halved lengthwise
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 lb tomatillos, peeled and quartered (about 6 medium)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 scallions, chopped (optional)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons sour cream, more or less to taste
- 2 lime wedges, optional garnish
Instructions
- Position a rack about 6 inches from the top of the oven, preheat the broiler, and put a large pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta.
- Cover a broiler pan with aluminum foil, coat lightly with nonstick spray, arrange the poblanos, skin side up in a single layer, and broil until patches of the skin begin to blister and blacken, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Remove the peppers from the oven, fold the edges of the foil up to form a sealed pouch and set aside for 10 to 15 minutes. This will steam the peppers and make it easier to remove the skin.
- While the peppers cool, arrange the quartered tomatillos on the broiler pan. Season with salt and pepper, broil until softened, 4 to 5 minutes, then set aside to cool.
- While you prepare the poblanos and tomatillos, heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add the onion, and sauté until soft and translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, season lightly with salt and pepper, and continue cooking until fragrant, 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat.
- Once the poblanos are cool enough to handle, peel off as much of the skin as possible, then rough chop them and place them in the work bowl of a food processor. Add the roasted tomatillos and the onion-garlic mixture (including the olive oil) and process to a salsa-like consistency. Transfer to a bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Cook and drain the pasta according to package directions, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid for the sauce. Stir the reserved liquid, lime juice, and chopped scallions into the sauce.
- Pour about half of the sauce over the pasta, add the cilantro and toss to combine.
- To serve, plate individual servings of pasta and divide the remaining sauce over the top. Top with a tablespoon of sour cream, garnish with lime wedges and serve immediately.
Randee T says
Made this for dinner last night and we really enjoyed it. It will be a new favorite for meatless meals!
Lynne Webb says
Hi Randee,
I’m happy to hear you liked the dish – it’s a nice switch from red sauce. Thanks for taking the time to let us know.
Ellie M says
This made a nice, light dinner. Thanks!