Creamy Chipotle Spaghetti

With Cilantro-Parmesan Croutons
50min
6

Creamy Chipotle Spaghetti with Cilantro-Parmesan Croutons

Of all the recipes I created for my online cooking classes, this brings me back to my most memories. When I was growing up in Tijuana, there was a point when my mom became too ill to cook. My father, being the Mexican man that he was, would go to the corner store near the kitchen. So, he found a wonderful man named Pedro who came to cook for us when my mom could not. This is one of my favorite dishes he made. Creamy, rich, with a hint of smoke and totally satisfying. When I got off the school bus and ran into the house, I could recognize the smell of it while on the stairs, before I even made it to the kitchen. What I loved about it was the marriage of my American side, the spaghetti, with my supertraditional, comforting flavors like chipotle. I thought this was a northern Mexican thing because we are so close to the border; we are more prone to take popular American dishes and “Mexicanize” them. Wrong! You can find versions of this recipe in home cooks all across the country. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it on a restaurant menu, but please let me know if I am mistaken. I want to know who serves this because I’m so willing to pay for it!
As for the chipotles, some brands have less adobo, the vinegary sauce the chiles come in. I think it’s the best part and, if you don’t like spice, just add all of the adobo to flavor and leave out the actual chiles.

Preparation

Ingredients

  • 1 pound dried spaghetti
  • 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 medium white onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
  • 1 large celery rib, chopped
  • 6 Roma tomatoes, cored and chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 chipotle chiles from a can of chipotles in adobo
  • 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from the can
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • Cilantro-Parmesan Croutons (optional; recipe follows)
  • Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water. Drain, reserving 2 cups of the pasta cooking liquid.
  2. Heat the oil and butter in a very large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté 5 minutes. Add the carrot and celery and sauté 2 minutes.
  3. Lower the heat to medium. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.
  4. Working in batches if needed, transfer the mixture to a blender and add the chipotles, adobo, and cream.
  5. Add 1 cup of the reserved pasta water, setting aside the remaining cup in case you want to add it to the pasta dish at the end. Blend until a smooth sauce forms. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
  6. Using a paper towel, wipe out any bits of vegetables that stayed in the saucepan. Strain the sauce back into the original pan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes.