This vegan poblano cream sauce pasta, which is my version of an espagueti verde recipe is creamy, spicy, and delicious! This creamy poblano sauce is made with a combination of almonds, roasted poblano peppers, garlic, and cilantro. It’s blended until smooth then poured over your favorite pasta. My family usually makes it for Christmas, along with tamales, pozole, and buñuelos. It’s one of those dishes that is easy to make in large quantities so it’s perfect to take to a potluck or family gathering.
This is the first Mexican recipe I veganized and published on this blog. I can’t believe it’s been 4 years of blogging professionally!! So much has happened since I started, and I’ve learned so much. But there’s still so much more to do and learn, and there are hundreds of vegan Mexican recipes yet to be made vegan.
Along the way, I’ve discovered an amazing community of people just like me who are Mexican or Mexican-American who have taken the plunge into veganism and sorely missed the food of their mamas and abuelas. People like me who realize that food is such a big part of our culture and simply don’t want to miss out.
I hope my recipes inspire you to go vegan if you’re not already one, and if you are one, that these recipes can help keep the traditions alive in your family without the cruelty or detrimental effects to your health that eating an animal-based diet brings.
The Recipe: Espagueti Verde
This “cream” sauce is made with raw almonds. You can use cashews instead if you like, but I think cashews are too sweet for this. It’s pretty amazing that you can make a cream sauce with nothing but some nut and a blender!!
- If you do not have a high powered blender, you will have to soak the almonds the night before, and peel.
- Toss the sauce with the pasta in a large bowl. Do not heat up sauce, if the sauce gets too hot it could break.
- You can pour this on pasta or vegetable noodles. It also makes a great salsa for tacos.
- If this is not spicy enough for you, throw in a jalapeño with the poblano peppers in the oven.
- Enjoy!
Poblano Cream Sauce Pasta
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Almonds, raw
- ¼ cup Unsweetened almond milk or vegetable oil (see note)
- 1 clove Garlic, peeled
- 1 tbsp. Chopped cilantro
- 1 tbsp. Lemon juice, fresh
- 1 cup Water
- 3 -4 Poblano peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded
- To taste Salt
- To taste Pepper
- 1 lb. Spaghetti
Instructions
- Boil salted water in a large pot.
- Cook spaghetti according to the directions on the box.
- Meanwhile, place the almonds, almond milk, garlic, lemon juice, cilantro,water, and poblano peppers in the blender.
- Process until smooth, season with salt and pepper.
- Drain spaghetti and place in a large bowl.
- Add desired amount of sauce and toss.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- You can add more poblano peppers or an extra jalapeño to increase the heat factor, but I wouldn’t recommend using less than three.
- If you want a really creamy sauce use oil instead of almond milk.
- If you do not have a high powered blender, pour boiling water over the almonds and let sit overnight. The following day, peel them, and use in the recipe as directed. You will have to reduce the amount of water to 1/2 cup, then adjust accordingly.
, which I highly recommend.
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is produced here in the US using the same process described in the video above. It is intensely chocolaty, aromatic, not too sweet, but with a hint of bitterness. The foam is thick, not at all airy. It contains only three ingredients: cacao beans, sugar, and cinnamon. It is also certified USDA organic, non-GMO, certified gluten-free, and vegan. The only downside is the price, $5.oo. It really isn’t too expensive, but one package will only make you two cups of hot chocolate.
is the one we buy more often, and it is a Mexican product. It has a medium chocolate flavor intensity and it is pretty sweet. There is no bitterness to it at all. The foam is airy and firm. It contains cocoa liquor, sugar, soy lecithin, and cinnamon flavoring. The price, $3.50, and it makes 24 cups of hot chocolate.
has a special place in my heart, it evokes a lot memories for me and it is extremely popular in Mexico. It has a medium chocolate flavor, is very sweet, and has no bitterness. The cinnamon flavor is strong and fragrant. The foam is airy and very firm. The downside is that it contains additives like vegetable oils, artificial flavor, and PGPR. The price, $3.25, and it makes 24 cups of chocolate.