Strawberry Sour Cream Pasta (Printable Version)

Pasta tossed in a creamy, sweet-tangy strawberry and sour cream sauce with fresh basil garnish.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz farfalle or penne pasta
02 - 1 tbsp salt (for boiling water)

→ Strawberry Sauce

03 - 2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
04 - 2 tbsp granulated sugar
05 - 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
06 - 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
07 - 1/4 tsp salt
08 - 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

→ Creamy Component

09 - 3/4 cup sour cream (full-fat preferred)

→ Garnish

10 - 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
11 - 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts (optional)
12 - Extra sliced strawberries (optional)

# Steps:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, then drain and set pasta aside.
02 - In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until strawberries soften but remain slightly textured.
03 - Remove sauce from heat and allow to cool for 2 to 3 minutes. Gently fold in sour cream until the sauce is smooth and uniformly pink. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
04 - Add drained pasta to the saucepan with strawberry-sour cream sauce. Toss gently to coat, adding reserved pasta water one tablespoon at a time to achieve desired consistency.
05 - Portion pasta onto plates. Garnish with fresh basil leaves, optional pine nuts, and additional sliced strawberries if desired. Serve immediately.

# Expert Insights:

01 -
  • It's the kind of dish that tastes like you fussed over it when you really just threw it together in 25 minutes.
  • The strawberry-sour cream sauce is tangy, bright, and nothing like anything else you've probably made with pasta.
  • It works just as well as a light main course or an elegant side dish for a dinner party.
02 -
  • Don't skip the cooling step before adding the sour cream—if the sauce is too hot, the cream can split and look curdled instead of silky.
  • This dish is best eaten right away; the pasta will keep absorbing sauce and the basil will darken if it sits around.
  • The pasta water is your secret weapon for adjusting consistency—add it gradually because you can always add more but you can't take it back.
03 -
  • Cook the strawberries just long enough to soften them; overcooked strawberries lose their personality and start to taste like jam instead of fresh fruit.
  • The reserved pasta water is liquid gold—it contains starch that helps the sauce cling to the noodles instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
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