Mexican Spaghetti with Crema de Chipotle

black plate with mexican pasta in chipotle cream sauce with a side of crusty bread and some sliced avocado.

5 (2 ratings)

Mexican Spaghetti with Crema de Chipotle

If you’ve been searching for an easy, creamy, spicy, hearty meal to breathe some life into your weeknight dinner, this creamy Mexican Spaghetti has you covered. Featuring al dente noodles tossed in a delightful crema de chipotle (a.k.a. chipotle cream sauce), this 10-ingredient Mexican pasta recipe will be on the table in just 30 minutes.

Prep Time25

Total Time25

Course: Dinner, Entrees, Lent

Cuisine: Italian, Mexican

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Author: Yvette Marquez

Ingredients

1 large white onion quartered and divided
4 garlic cloves divided
5 roma tomatoes divided
1 teaspoon tomato or chicken bouillon
16 ounces spaghetti
1 cup pasta water
4-5 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 cup crema Mexicana or sour cream
2 tablespoons greek yogurt or mayonnaise
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese or queso cotija shredded

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 3/4 onion, 2 tomatoes, 1 garlic clove, and bouillon. Cook the pasta for 10 minutes. When done, drain pasta in a colander and do not rinse. Reserve pasta water and place boiled onion, garlic, and tomatoes in a blender with 1 cup of pasta water.
Meanwhile, dry roast remaining onion, garlic, and tomatoes.
Place roasted ingredients in the blender along with chipotle peppers, crema, and yogurt or mayonnaise. Puree mixture until smooth.
Add butter to large skillet set over medium heat. When it foams, pour in the spaghetti and combine until incorporated. Top with creamy chipotle mixture and cook, for about 10 minutes, stirring it occasionally.
Season with salt and pepper.
Top each serving with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese or queso cotija.

Notes

Optional Variations:

Vegetarian - Knorr’s Caldo de Tomate tomato bouillon has chicken fat in it, so it is not suitable for vegetarians. Feel free to swap in veggie bouillon, and opt for a vegetarian (i.e. animal rennet-free) cheese.

Vegan/Dairy-Free - Follow the steps to make this chipotle spaghetti vegetarian, then swap in your favorite plant-based sour cream and Greek yogurt/mayo alternatives.

Gluten-Free - Use your favorite gluten-free noodles to make this Mexican pasta recipe celiac-friendly.

Adjust The Spice - The chipotle cream sauce for pasta is spicy, but can be customized based on spice tolerance. Feel free to amp up the heat by adding more chipotles, or tamp it down by adding less. Note that the cream in this recipe tames down the spice, so I’d consider it to be a flavorful “medium” heat.

Add Some Protein - This chipotle pasta recipe is lovely on its own, but it also plays nicely with others. I like to serve it with slices of avocado and some crusty bread to sop up the sauce. It’s so good! For a heartier meal, serve with albondigas, chicken, or grilled shrimp.

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