A new weeknight favorite: Tallarines a la Poblana
I tend to purchase way more poblano peppers than what I need. I like to have a few ready in my refrigerator produce drawer for whenever I hit a menu slump. They are great to have for impromptu chiles rellenos, rajas and calabacitas, cream of poblano soup or poblano strips with cream.
This time, I decided to prepare something different: Roasted poblano pasta. I was a bit skeptical if this dish would receive the approval of my ten year old son. I made sure I carefully removed every single seed and vein in order to keep the spiciness to a minimum. It all depends on the poblano pepper. Some are completely mild and harmless and others might be full of heat.
This batch of pasta was mild and smokey. My son loved it and even served himself seconds. Not to mention how intrigued he was by the color of these delicious spaghetti noodles. He served himself two bowl-fulls without an incident.
Related recipe: Vinaigrette Pasta Salad
If you love a good amount of spice in your pasta sauce, leave a few seeds and veins in the poblano peppers. You can also add a fresh jalapeño in the preparation process. The creaminess of the milk and cream cheese will balance out the spice. The cilantro gives it a fragrant touch and cotija cheese as a garnish is perfect for texture in every bite.
The beauty of this dish is that preparation takes half the time of a spaghetti and meatballs dinner. It has now been added to our weekly menu rotation.
With just a few ingredients a family dinner will come together. Experiment with various pasta shapes. This dish can easily be turned into a festive pasta salad for a family picnic.
Tallarines a la Poblana | Roasted Poblano Pasta
This creamy and spicy spaghetti comes to life with a roasted poblano peppers and cream cheese sauce.
Ingredients
3 poblano peppers
3 garlic cloves
½ cup white onion roughly chopped
4 ounces cream cheese
1/3 cup (packed) cilantro, chopped plus more for garnish
¾ cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound spaghetti pasta
crumbled cotija cheese for ganish
Instructions
Roast poblano peppers over an open flame. Carefully turning with tongs until their skin is completely charred. Place in a plastic bag, seal and steam for 10 minutes. Remove poblano peppers from bag and peel charred skin with fingers or by rubbing with a paper towel. Remove tops, veins and seeds. Set aside.
Add garlic, onion, cream cheese, cilantro, milk, salt and Poblano peppers in a blender container. Blend until smooth.
Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium low medium heat. Add creamy poblano mixture and simmer for 10 minutes; stirring every 3-4 minutes.
While Poblano mixture cooks, prepare spaghetti according to package instructions. Drain and transfer pasta into Poblano mixture, carefully folding into sauce until completely covered. Remove from heat and serve. Garnish with cotija cheese and pieces of cilantro sprigs.
