This recipe is a twist on the classic “Espagueti Verde” aka Green Spaghetti. This pasta is very popular in Mexico, if you go to a Holiday dinner or a special celebration, it is for sure that you are going to find Espagueti Verde on the menu. For this recipe I used red bell peppers instead of the traditional Poblano peppers. I wanted a milder pepper flavor and also a little sweetness. Red bell peppers were perfect for this recipe.
What you need to make Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
Pasta. Whatever shape you like the best
Neutral oil
Red bell peppers. I like red because they are a little sweeter than green but green would also be delicious.
Roma tomato. You can also sub for 1/4 cup tomato sauce
Garlic cloves
Chicken bouillon
Mexican crema
Parmesan cheese and croutons for serving (optional)
You can find my recipe for parmesan croutons here: Parmesan Croutons – Marisol Cooks
Helpful Tips and Tricks
If you don’t want to go through the process of charring and cleaning the peppers you can also use jarred roasted peppers. They are already clean and ready to use. Jarred peppers are more flavorful than canned pepper in my opinion so I would go for those first.
Reserve some of the pasta water. This is not only going to help you get a creamier consistency when added to the sauce but also the starch from the water if going to make the sauce stick to the pasta.
Other Variations
If you would like to try the classic Green Spaghetti just sub for poblano peppers. Do the same process of charring and cleaning the peppers. Leave the Roma tomatoes out and add a small bunch of fresh cilantro (about 1/4 cup) when you are ready to blend the peppers, garlic, chicken bouillon and Mexican crema.
Ingredients
- 8 z oz spaghetti or pasta of choice
- Olive oil
- 2 large red bell peppers
- 1 Roma tomato, roughly chopped
- 2 small garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
- 1/3 cup Mexican crema
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup water (from pasta)
- Croutons and parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions.
- While the pasta is cooking place the peppers on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Place the oven rack directly under the broiler and turn the broiler on. Roast the peppers for 5-8 minutes turning around two or three times until evenly charred.
- Transfer the peppers into a zip top bag and let them steam for 10 minutes.
- Remove the peppers from the bag and peel off the charred skin. Cut the peppers in half and remove all the seeds. Cut the peppers into chunks and set aside.
- In a large skillet add the olive oil and turn the heat to medium. Once it’s hot add the bell peppers, tomatoes and garlic. Sautee until fragrant.
- Transfer to a blender along with the Mexican crema. Season with chicken bouillon and salt and pepper to taste. Blend until smooth.
- Add a little more oil to the skillet and bring it back to medium heat. Add the sauce and cook for 5 minutes. Add some of the pasta water to make it creamy and reach the desire consistency.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Toss until everything is well coated with the sauce.
- Serve immediately. Top with grated parmesan cheese and croutons if desire.
