This is a recipe I used to make back when we lived in Austin and Hatch chiles were readily available. It's a creamy baked pasta with a sauce made of pureed roasted chiles and sour cream. Where we live now, poblanos are a lot easier to come by than Hatch, so I've updated the recipe. It works well with regular or high fiber penne, so you can easily make this low carb with something like Carbe Diem or make it gluten-free with a gluten-free penne.
8-Inch Pan Size
The recipe was originally for a 9x13 inch pan of baked pasta. We rarely need that much, so I've scaled it down to fit an 8-inch pan, which is a reasonable size to serve as a side dish for 4 to 6. If you like it, can double it and use the larger dish. If you are serving 2 or 3, you can scale it down even more and bake in a smaller dish. I put those measurements in the notes.
From Hatch to Poblano
The original recipe called for Hatch chiles. I now use poblanos and have increased the amount since poblanos are slightly milder. If using poblanos, start with about ½ pound fresh. Once roasted and trimmed you'll have a little over a quarter pound (130 grams) or so. You can roast the poblanos in the oven at 450 or just blister them under a broiler. I use the broiler on my Breville toaster oven, seal the blistered peppers in a zipper bag, then peel off the skin when cool.
Assemble
Assembly is pretty easy. You blend the roasted pepper with sour cream, a dash of sugar, and milk, then toss the roasted pepper mixture with cooked pasta and some of the cheese. Lay it in your dish, cover with foil, then bake. Uncover, add more cheese and bake until cheese melts. You can assemble a few hours ahead of time and bake later if you wish. Here's my slightly smaller batch all mixed and ready to cover with foil and bake. I didn't have any "Mexican blend" cheese and used another blend called 4 State Cheddar.
So this the new rendition of the recipe, and I hope you like it. Spice level will vary with your poblano because some are quite mild and others are surprisingly spicy! The original recipe is from the late Jean Andrews, an Austin cook who was known as The Pepper Lady and wrote The Peppers Cookbook. I'm sure she'd approve of the poblano switch.
Recipe
Hatch Chile Baked Penne
Ingredients
- 2-3 large hatch chili peppers or Poblanos (go by weight) (220 grams or 120 grams already roasted)
- 5 cups water
- 1 teaspoon chicken or vegetable soup base or salt
- 7 ounces penne pasta
- 1 cup sour cream (or use half yogurt) (240 grams)
- 1 teaspoon sugar or honey
- 2 tablespoons cream, milk or half & half optional
- 1 cup shredded cheese, Mexican style mix Monterey Jack etc.
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Roast the Peppers (or Skip if Using Pre-Roasted)
- Roast the peppers. Slit the chili peppers down the center, scrape out the seeds and arrange on a large foil lined baking sheet. Broil until blistered. Transfer to a heavy duty freezer bag, seal, and let cool. When cool, remove from bags, peel away skins, chop. If using poblanos, you should have about 120-130 grams roasted.
Boil the Pasta
- Bring water to a boil. Stir in the soup base or salt. Add pasta and boil until al dente 8 to 12 minutes. If using low carb pasta, the boiling time will be more like 16 minutes.
Mix and Assemble
- Meanwhile, in a high speed blender, process the sour cream, sugar, chopped roasted peppers and milk (or cream)
- Drain the pasta and toss it with the sour cream mixture and ½ cup of the shredded cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste if you think it needs it. If using sour cream only, you probably won't need extra salt. If using yogurt, you will.
- Arrange in a greased 8-inch square or small casserole dish and cover with foil. Bake at 375 F. for about 10 minutes, then sprinkle remaining cheese over the top. Bake uncovered for another 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Preston Mitchell says
Anytime! If you'd like a complementary box in exchange for a review, I'd be happy to send one your way. Feel free to contact my via email 🙂
Anna says
Cool! Thanks for the tip!!
Preston Mitchell says
If you miss HEB's short window for hatch green chile, or want to try making red sauce, our farm actually ships directly to individuals. You can order both fresh (August-October) and frozen (year-round) at our website http://hatch-green-chile.com before and after HEB and Whole Foods quit offering it locally.
Anna says
Hi Amy, I didn't have any yogurt so I just used sour cream. I think half yogurt would be great, though.
Amy D. says
Hi Anna,
I am making this for dinner tonight...my first time to cook with chili peppers! I'm making a half batch. Anyway, if you get this before I start cooking in a few hours can you let me know...did you use all sour cream or a combo of sour cream and yogurt? Just wondering what tastes best..I have both. I'm going to skip the heavy cream. Thanks!!!
Alton says
How timely! I just called Eric to be sure to pick up our 30 lbs of Hatch chilis at Albertson's tomorrow. I have been searching for recipes. He first had one last year and has been waiting for them to come into season. Albertsons sells them in 30 lb. batches and roasts them for you. I was thinking of Chili Rellenos, but several people said they were too thin for rellenos that it is best to layer them. Guess I will have enough chilis to experiment with!
charlotte r says
HEB plus just pulled out the roaster, can hardly wait to get my supply of hatch peppers.
Amy @ What Jew Wanna Eat says
Yum I love hatch season! I think I'm going to make something similar at HEB tomorrow 🙂