Mexican Green Spaghetti, or Espagueti Verde, is spaghetti tossed through a creamy, vibrant green sauce made with poblano peppers, fresh coriander and cream cheese. It’s full of flavour, surprisingly simple to make and one of those dishes I discovered while travelling that I couldn’t stop thinking about when I came home.

I first ate Espagueti Verde in Cancun, Mexico. Until then, I had no idea Mexican green spaghetti even existed. Being Italian, I was immediately intrigued when I spotted spaghetti on the menu and had to order it.

What arrived wasn’t remotely like the spaghetti I knew. The pasta was coated in a brilliant green, incredibly creamy poblano sauce, with the freshness of coriander running through it. It was absolutely packed with flavour. I loved it.

I’ve wanted to recreate that spaghetti ever since, but there was one problem: fresh poblano peppers are difficult to find in Australia. I didn’t want to replace them with green capsicum when the poblano flavour was such an important part of what I remembered.

Finding tinned poblanos in brine finally solved that problem. They make it possible to recreate that creamy, vibrant green sauce using proper poblano peppers — and this Mexican Green Spaghetti tastes every bit as delicious as I remembered.

What Is Mexican Green Spaghetti?

Mexican green spaghetti, or espagueti verde, is a creamy Mexican pasta made with a green sauce most commonly based on poblano peppers.

There are many versions. Depending on the recipe, the poblanos might be combined with milk, crema, cream cheese, coriander, garlic or savoury seasonings.

Despite the colour, poblano peppers aren’t particularly hot. Their appeal here is their distinctive flavour — earthy, vegetal and much more complex than an ordinary green capsicum.

My version is inspired by the espagueti verde I ate in Cancun and includes the two ingredients I particularly remembered from that dish: cream cheese and fresh coriander.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Poblano peppers

Poblano peppers are the defining flavour of this spaghetti.

Fresh poblanos are commonly roasted and peeled before being blended into a green sauce, but they can be difficult to find in Australia. I use tinned poblano peppers in brine, which makes this recipe much more accessible without replacing the poblano with a different variety of pepper.

Look for poblanos packed in brine rather than pickled poblanos or chiles en escabeche, which will have a much more vinegary flavour.

Spaghetti

I use spaghetti because that’s how I ate the dish in Mexico, and the long strands are fantastic with the silky poblano sauce.

The sauce generously coats the spaghetti without overwhelming it, so every forkful gets plenty of that creamy green sauce.

Cream cheese

Full-fat cream cheese provides richness and gives the sauce its beautifully creamy texture.

You can use it straight from the refrigerator — it doesn’t need to come to room temperature before blending.

Fresh coriander

Coriander isn’t an afterthought or simply a garnish here. It is one of the main flavours of the sauce.

Use both the leaves and tender upper stems. They blend smoothly into the sauce and add freshness as well as contributing to its fantastic green colour.

Full-cream milk

Milk loosens the cream cheese and helps create a sauce that is silky rather than overly thick.

I use full-cream milk for the best flavour and texture.

Garlic

Just one small garlic clove is enough. It adds another layer of flavour without overpowering the poblano and coriander.

Chicken bouillon

A small amount of chicken bouillon adds savoury depth to the sauce.

It doesn’t make the pasta taste of chicken; it simply rounds out the flavour. Because the bouillon and tinned poblanos both contain salt, taste the finished pasta before adding any additional seasoning.

Butter

A small knob of butter stirred through with the hot spaghetti gives the finished sauce extra richness and a lovely glossy finish.

Pro Tips

Use the right poblanos. Look for tinned poblanos packed in brine rather than strongly pickled peppers or chiles en escabeche. The poblano is the main flavour of the dish, so this makes a real difference.

Taste the poblanos before using them. If the brine flavour is particularly noticeable, give them a quick rinse under cold water and pat them dry before adding them to the sauce.

Blend until really smooth. A NutriBullet or high-powered blender is ideal here. The sauce should be creamy and silky rather than containing obvious pieces of poblano or coriander.

Cook the spaghetti until just al dente. It will soften a little more as it is tossed through the sauce.

Transfer the spaghetti straight from the cooking water. Don’t rinse it. The small amount of starchy water clinging to the strands helps the green sauce coat the pasta beautifully.

Keep some pasta water nearby. You may not need much, but a small splash is useful if the sauce needs loosening.

Serve it straight away. This sauce becomes thicker as it sits, so the spaghetti is at its best while freshly tossed, creamy and glossy.

What to Serve with Mexican Green Spaghetti

This pasta is rich enough to serve on its own for an easy lunch or dinner, and that’s how I like it best.

If you’re making a larger meal, pair it with something fresh and relatively light rather than another creamy dish. A simple tomato and avocado salad dressed with lime would work beautifully, as would grilled prawns or fish.

For more Mexican-inspired cooking, try my Salmon with Mexican Salsa, which pairs salmon with a fresh avocado and tomato salsa.

And for another recipe inspired by food from Mexico, my Cochinita Pibil is completely different but well worth trying — slow-cooked pork with the citrus and achiote flavours of the Yucatán Peninsula.

Storage and Making Ahead

The green poblano sauce can be prepared a few hours ahead and stored covered in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook the spaghetti.

I recommend cooking and combining the pasta just before serving. Once mixed with the sauce, the spaghetti will gradually absorb moisture and the sauce will become thicker.

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

To reheat, add a small splash of milk or water and warm gently until the sauce has loosened and the pasta is heated through.

I don’t recommend freezing the finished spaghetti.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Mexican green spaghetti spicy?

No, not particularly.

Poblanos are generally mild chillies. There can be some variation from pepper to pepper, but their role in this dish is primarily about flavour rather than heat.

Can I make espagueti verde with tinned poblanos?

Absolutely.

Tinned poblanos in brine work very well and are a particularly useful option if you live somewhere fresh poblanos are difficult to find.

Choose poblanos in a mild brine rather than peppers pickled in vinegar.

Can I substitute green capsicum for poblano peppers?

I don’t recommend it.

Green capsicum will give you a green sauce, but it doesn’t have the distinctive earthy flavour of poblano. Because poblano is the main ingredient in the sauce, substituting it changes the character of the dish considerably.

What can I use instead of a NutriBullet?

A regular blender works perfectly.

You can also use a food processor, although it may not produce quite as silky a sauce. If using one, process the mixture thoroughly until the poblano and coriander are broken down as finely as possible.

Does the cream cheese need to be at room temperature?

No.

Because the cream cheese is blended with milk and the remaining sauce ingredients, it can go straight into the blender from the refrigerator.

Can I leave out the coriander?

There are versions of Mexican green spaghetti without coriander, but I wouldn’t omit it from this recipe.

Coriander is an important part of the flavour of this particular sauce and balances the richness of the cream cheese beautifully.

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Final Thoughts

Some of my favourite food memories from travelling are the ones I never saw coming.

I expected to remember the tacos I ate in Mexico. I didn’t expect to be thinking about a plate of bright green spaghetti years later.

But there was something about that creamy poblano and coriander sauce that stuck with me. It was completely different from the pasta I knew, yet so incredibly delicious.

Finding tinned poblano peppers finally gave me a practical way to recreate it at home without substituting the ingredient that makes the dish special.

I’m very glad I did. It is quick, surprisingly simple and absolutely full of flavour — exactly the kind of dish worth remembering from a holiday.

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