I was telling my Cuban BFF about my Traditional Mexican Sopa de Fideos recipe I had just made and he suggested I make this version of Cuban Espagueti that his mom Ofelia makes.
For those of you who regularly check out my awesome recipes, this is the same chef who shared her Cuban Picadillo recipe with me a few years back. Just like her picadillo recipe, this one does not disappoint!
At first, I thought it was a typo or an auto-correct thing and I replied “You mean Cuban spaghetti”? He started laughing and said “It’s funny, but Spaniards / Cubans when reading or saying anything that starts with an “S” tend to pronounce the S as “Es”, so Spaghetti is always “Espagueti”.
The other thing he shared with me about this recipe is that Cuban Espagueti is served more on the dry side, not wet like Italian style pasta dishes. Regardless, this Pasta Dish is absolutely delicious!
Ingredient Substitution
If you can find Fideos Pasta at your local grocery store you can substitute for some vermicelli or angel hair pasta. You just need to break them into short pieces before using them.
You can also use cooking wine if you don’t have any dry white wine on hand. You may need to adjust the salt if you substitute it.
Recipe Tips
- Instead of using leftover ham you can substitute for some chorizo to give this dish a different flavor profile.
Gather your Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this Cuban Espagueti recipe. For ingredient amounts please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – always try to use the best quality olive oil you can
- Yellow Onion – you can also use a white onion or sweet brown onion
- Green & Red Bell Pepper – or any other kind of mild pepper you want
- Ground Cumin & Sazon – a little seasoning for the sauce
- Garlic Cloves – a staple when making pasta sauce
- Ham – if you don’t have any leftover ham you can also use chorizo or soyrizo
- Tomato Paste – you can omit the paste if you want to tone down the taste of tomato
- Dry White Wine – you can use some white cooking wine if you must
- Bay Leaves – I like to use bay leaves but you can skip it you don’t have any on hand
- Crushed Tomatoes – a key ingredient when making pasta sauce
- Fideo Pasta – if you are having a hard time finding fideo pasta you can substitute for some vermicelli pasta
- Salt and Pepper – most recipes need some salt & pepper
How to Make Cuban Espagueti
- In a large Dutch oven, add the olive oil and onions. Add some salt and ground black pepper as the onions start to cook.
- Once the onions begin to look slightly transparent, add the peppers. If the Dutch oven is a little dry, add in a little more olive oil. Season the onions and peppers with a little more salt and pepper, cumin, and the Sazon.
- Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the peppers and onions are soft. Add the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes to be sure it is cooked evenly.
- Add the ham to the vegetable mixture. Add the tomato paste and dry white wine. Mix till combined. Let cook for 5 minutes on high.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and bay leaves and lower the heat to low and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Remove the bay leaves and add the fideo pasta to the sauce and cook together for 4-6 minutes or until the pasta has absorbed most of the sauce.
- Optionally garnish with Parmigiano cheese and freshly chopped parsley.
More Recipe Ideas
Beef Enchilada Fideo Skillet
Traditional Mexican Sopa de Fideos
Boursin Cheese Pasta Bake
BLT Pasta Bake with Leeks
Printable Recipe Card
Cuban Espagueti
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Ingredients
- ¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Yellow Onion, diced
- 1 Green Bell Pepper, diced
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
- ¼ Tsp Ground Cumin
- ½ Tsp Sazon
- 6 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 Cup Ham, or chorizo
- 1 Tsp Tomato Paste
- ⅓ Cup Dry White Wine
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 28 oz Crushed Tomatoes
- 1 lb Fideo Pasta
- 1 Tsp Salt and Pepper, as needed
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven, add the olive oil and onions. Add some salt and ground black pepper as the onions start to cook.
- Once the onions begin to look slightly transparent, add the peppers. If the skillet is a little dry, add in a little more olive oil. Season the onions and peppers with a little more salt and pepper, cumin, and the Sazon.
- Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the peppers and onions are soft. Add the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes to be sure it is cooked evenly.
- Add the ham to the vegetable mixture. Add the tomato paste and dry white wine. Mix till combined. Let cook for 5 minutes on high.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and bay leaves and lower the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Remove the bay leaves and add the fideo pasta to the sauce and cook together for 4-6 minutes or until the pasta has absorbed most of the sauce.
- Optionally garnish with parmigiano cheese and freshly chopped parsley.
