Strawberry Sour Cream Pasta (Printable)

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

# What You 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 full-fat sour cream

→ Garnish

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

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water, drain pasta and set aside.
02 - Combine strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until strawberries soften and release juices but retain texture, about 5–7 minutes.
03 - Remove sauce from heat and let cool for 2–3 minutes. Gently fold in sour cream until smooth and evenly pink. Adjust seasoning as needed.
04 - Add drained pasta to the saucepan with strawberry-sour cream sauce. Toss gently to coat, adding reserved pasta water a tablespoon at a time if thinning is needed.
05 - Divide pasta among plates. Garnish with fresh basil, optional toasted pine nuts, and extra sliced strawberries if desired. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It takes just 25 minutes from bare pot to plated dinner, making it your secret weapon for impressing people on weeknights.
  • The strawberries stay just barely cooked, holding their shape and brightness instead of turning into jam.
  • It's naturally vegetarian and feels elegant enough for company, yet simple enough that nothing can go wrong.
02 -
  • Never let the strawberry sauce boil hard after you fold in the sour cream, or it can separate and look curdled—gentle heat is the whole secret here.
  • The reserved pasta water isn't optional; it's what saves you if the sauce seems too thick, and it helps the flavors meld together instead of staying separate.
03 -
  • Buy strawberries the day you plan to cook; they release more juice when they're at their peak ripeness.
  • If your sour cream is cold from the fridge, let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes before folding it in so the temperature change won't cause separation.
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