Mexican Pasta Verde
Creamy with mild heat, Mexican Pasta Verde is unlike anything you’ve had before. Roasted chilis, tomatillos, garlic, and bulb onions bring some smoky char to the sauce while fresh cilantro and lime juice brighten things up!
California Cuisine
California Cuisine is what I mainly cook. It is bright, fresh, and delicious, with lots of local in-season produce and flavor combinations that reflect our state’s diverse ethnic population. I wrote an article for FoodStack Library if you want to read more about it.
One of the main influences in Southern California cuisine is Mexico. I live a little over an hour from the U.S.-Mexican border so our local area is filled with not only restaurant chains that feature Mexican food but also mom-and-pop shops. Mexican cuisine isn’t just tacos, as delicious as they are, but varies from region to region in Mexico.
For instance, in El Norte, which runs along the U.S. border and stretches for 2,000 miles, you will find all sorts of grilled meats (goat and beef, sometimes pork), cheeses and cheesy dishes, and seafood on the coast (hello, fish tacos!). The Bajio area is on the inland plains of Mexico where rice dishes are popular as well as pork. Central Mexico is where the foodie scene is, mainly in Mexico City, and where you’ll find trendy street food. The Gulf and South regions are closer to the Caribbean so their food reflects Carib, Spanish, Mayan, and even Middle Eastern influences.
Espagueti Verde
When my children were toddlers, I used to attend a Mothers of Preschoolers group (MOPS!) at the local church. Each meeting we had a potluck and that is where I was first introduced to espagueti verde, or green spaghetti. A mom named Ileana frequently brought it and I always looked for it on the buffet table. She learned how to make it from her mom in northern Mexico and said it was a staple at holidays and family parties.
As much as I love the original dish, I adapted Ileana’s recipe for espagueti verde to my family’s need. The majority of my peeps are dairy-free (not by choice but necessity) so I subbed in coconut milk for the cow’s milk. And you know I can’t help but tinker around, so I also added tomatillos, jalapeno, and Mexican bulb onions to give the dish a little more zip. I think you are going to love it.
Lessons Learned
- Leave out the jalapeno if your tummy says no to spicy.
- Sub in parsley if you don’t like cilantro.
- Use any pasta you like. You’re an adult so you can do what you want.
Hat Tips
Many thanks to my friend Ileana for her espagueti verde recipe.
Mexican Pasta Verde
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 6 medium tomatillos
- 3 Mexican bulb onions
- 2 poblano chiles
- 1 jalapeno
- 1 head garlic
- Olive oil for drizzling
- 1 bunch cilantro (about 1 cup loosely packed leaves)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 can (14 oz) full fat coconut milk (or other milk)
- 2 cups chicken or veggie broth
- 1 lb. penne or other pasta
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- extra cilantro for garnish
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 F/220 C. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet and set aside.
- Remove the papery husks from tomatillos and discard. Halve the poblano peppers and jalapeno, and remove the stems and seeds.
- Cut the top off the garlic head, exposing the cloves inside. Place the head in foil or parchment, then drizzle with olive oil and seal the foil closed.
- Place the tomatillos, bulb onions, poblanos, and jalapeno on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly drizzle with 1 or 2 tablespoons of oil and using your hands, distribute the oil evenly over all the veggies. Turn the peppers cut side down. Add the wrapped garlic to the sheet.
- Roast for 35-ish minutes until the veggies are soft and charred in spots. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes.
- Scrape all the roasted veggies and any pan juices into a blender or food processor. When the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze out the roasted cloves into the blender. Throw in the cilantro, salt, and cumin.
- Blitz for 10 to 20 seconds, then add the coconut milk and broth. Blitz again until everything is pureed and smooth. Pour the mixture into a large pot or Dutch oven and place it on medium-low heat on the stovetop.
- Prepare the pasta according to package directions (don’t forget to salt the pasta water!). Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water to the side.
- Tip the cooked pasta into the verde sauce and stir to coat. Add some pasta water, if needed, to loosen things up.
- Add a squeeze of lime and garnish with extra chopped cilantro.
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