Move over tomato sauce! Pasta with buttered sour cream and bacon is in town, and the pasta is calling! Try this for your next pasta supper and get ready to be dishing out seconds.

Why we love this recipe
Sometimes when you are contemplating the inside of your refrigerator wondering what to make for supper, wonderful things can happen.
This was the case when I was contemplating the inside of my own fridge, gazing at the remains of a container of sour cream, the last couple of scallions in the bunch, a stick of butter and of course, the package of bacon that is always in there.
What happened next was pasta with a buttered sour cream and bacon sauce that is going into permanent rotation in our house!
As the idea was forming in my head, I also realized I had a burning desire to use some of the poppy seeds I discovered in my spice cabinet (now a glorious spice drawer) when we were redoing the kitchen, so they went into the mix as well. And as offbeat as this combo sounds…it WORKED.
Sweet butter, salty bacon, tangy sour cream, a little bite courtesy of the scallions, and the I-don’t-know-quite-how-to-describe-it taste of the poppy seeds.
I used campagnelle pasta because I wanted the nice round shape to grab every drop of that sauce, but penne or ziti will work just as well.
Ingredients You Need to make this scrumptious pasta!

- Pasta: Any short pasta will do – think penne, elbows, bow-ties, etc.
- Bacon: We love thick cut bacon for this recipe, but regular works too.
- Butter: Salted and unsalted are both fine.
- Sour Cream: You can use full fat or low fat, but we don’t recommend non fat as it is not rich enough.
- Scallions: If you have someone who objects to scallions 🙋🏼♀️ parsley is a good sub
- Poppy Seeds (optional): But they do add a nice zippy taste!
Here’s how To make this delectable sour cream pasta sauce!
(Scroll down for the handy complete printable recipe with nutrition info!)
STEP 1: Make sure your sour cream and your butter are at room temperature, and cook up your bacon until it is crispy.

STEP 2: Cook the pasta and drain it, and then put it right back into the hot pasta pot.
STEP 3: Now stir in the butter and the sour cream both at the same time until they are all melted and mixed together with your pasta.
STEP 4: Stir in the bacon, scallions (or parsley) and poppy seeds…and that’s it! That’s all there is to it.
I dished mine into warmed plates, and for the next little while the only sound in our house was “Mmmmmmmm.” Creamy, dreamy, tangy pasta deliciousness.
Sour cream pasta FAQs!
Yep, they are optional…but if you happen to have any, they do add a little fun zip of flavor. You can usually find them in the spice section of your grocery store.
You can! Both full fat and low fat will work. Don’t use the totally fat-free kind though – the sauce won’t have enough texture.
Pop your question in the comments section below and I will answer pronto!
Which among other things just goes to show that all that time we’ve spent gazing into fridges does eventually pay off in the end!
OTHER PASTA AND BACON RECIPES WE LOVE!
Linguine with bacon, goat cheese and sugar snap peas? I have officially decided that this is my new favorite spring recipe. |
I think I have made my undying love for bacon abundantly clear to all of you over the years, so why it took me so long to figure out that… |
This easy recipe for corn and bacon pasta captures the fresh flavors of the season in one quick supper. With a little ricotta cheese on top! |
Could you leave us a review? 😋
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section below. Your thoughts and advice will help both us and your fellow readers. 🥰
Print
Pasta with Buttered Sour Cream and Bacon Sauce
- Author: Kate Morgan Jackson
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 3–4 servings 1x
Category: Dinner
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: American
Description
Move over tomato sauce! Pasta with buttered sour cream and bacon is in town, and the pasta is calling! Try this for your next pasta supper.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces of bacon, chopped
- 8 ounces short pasta (penne, ziti, etc)
- 1/2 stick butter at room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream at room temperature
- 4 scallions, chopped (or an equal amount of pasta)
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
Instructions
- Cook your bacon until it is nice and crispy and set aside.
- Cook pasta according to package directions and drain. Return to the hot pasta pot.
- Put the pot on the lowest heat setting on your stove and stir in butter and sour cream. Stir until both are melted and combined into the pasta.
- Stir in scallions, poppy seeds and cooked bacon.
- Serve at once on warmed plates.
Notes
Sour Cream: If you bring it to room temperature before you use it, it will blend into the sauce even more quickly.
Bacon: We like thick cut bacon, but you can use regular bacon or even turkey bacon for this recipe.
Scallions: Some folks (like my daughter!) don’t like the taste of these slightly spicy veggies. You can swap out the scallions for parsley…or just leave them out altogether.
Equipment We Used For This Recipe
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Sounds Delish!! I just know you are having the best time cooking and baking in your new kitchen!
Happiest of Holiday times to you and the fam!!:-)
And to you too – happy days and happy cooking! :)
Bacon is king! This looks awesome. (And how DO you describe poppyseeds?)
Bacon IS king!! (And I honestly have no idea. They just taste like, well, poppy seeds!) :)
Sometimes the contents of the refrigerator can be so serendipitous. Love how random yet awesome this is!
Right? Some of my best ideas come from fridge meditation. :)
YUM! Can’t wait to try this. Pinned!!
Yay! And thanks for the pin – xx
I added some sone dried tomatoes to this and it was amazing! Added just the right amount of zing to an already awesome dish! MANY Thanks!
Oooh, love that idea! Will trying it next time. :)
Came across this by accident and thought it was going to be one of those things where combining ingredients creates an unexpected delicious flavour but it tastes exactly like you’d expect bacon butter and sour cream to taste which is fine but somewhat bland and very basic. Overhyped tone.
★★
Hi Andrew! I’m sorry this one didn’t work out for you…we love it as is, but if you want to try it again there are a bunch of great variations/ingredient suggestions in the comments. One way or the other, I appreciate your feedback! :)
I made a version of this tonight because I had a ton of sour cream to use up. I used salami instead of bacon (I didn’t have any) and only had spaghetti, so I broke it in half so it’d be smaller .. and I added shrimp. It still turned out great — that sauce is deceptively delicious! I’m looking forward to making it with penne and bacon next time. Thank you for this one!
I love your variations on this – I am definitely going to have to try them (yay shrimp!)…thanks for taking the time to leave me a comment telling me how it turned out! Happy Sunday. :)
I let mushrooms and garlic cook in the butter before adding the sour cream. Added a bit of cyan pepper, it was perfect.
Made this tonight over zucchini pasta and blanded spinach into the sauce. So delicious. Thank u for the idea!
I love the idea of zucchini pasta – I will have to try it that way!
Yes. I made the recipe and added sliced sautéed garlic, cooked sliced sausage and boiled, halved brussel sprouts. Everyone liked it mixed in with linguini. Thank you
We made it with tomato sauce, a splash of worsteshire and flat noodles and called it “Bacon Slop.” Now we have a new recipe called “Different Bacon Slop.” It’s delicious! (Kids will eat anything with a gross name. ?)
Different Bacon Slop – I love it!!! (and you are SO RIGHT about kids – gotta love it!)
How about the bacon?
Hi Bobbie! You stir in the bacon at the end – it’s step 3 in the recipe. Was that what you needed to know? :)
This is great! I was trying to use up a few things that needed to be cleaned out so added some peas, a handful of cherry tomatoes and grated Parmesan. Perfect
Angie, I’m so glad you like it – and you’re right, it’s a great “clean out the fridge” dish! Happy weekend!
Hi Angie, I went with your version as had same things loitering aroundin the fridge. The best place to be at the moment as we’re having a mega heat wave here on the East Coast of Australia! :)
Too funny! I am 62yo & my mother made this for me when I was little! I made it for my kids when they were little & they loved it! Always asked for “pasta with white sauce” ! I still make it for myself as an old standby!
Pasta with white sauce – I love it! :) :)
This is a gorgeous recipe with versatility. I enjoyed reading the comments and picking up some tips. Also hearing that it was A+ delicious. I went with Angie and added peas , cherry tomatoes and parmesan. Also some garlic powder (1/4 tsp) to the butter when heating. I added strips of left over pork and a sprinkle of dried dill to the mix. Thanks so much for this recipe, it’s a keeper indeed!!
I love it when cooks get together and customize recipes – something delicious always comes out of that! Yay for Angie and for you – happy cooking! :)
Admiring you’re recipe from Australia – how many grams/oz is a stick of butter? I’m not sure how much to put in?
★★★★★
Hi Jess! There are 4 ounces (or 113 grams) in a stick of butter. Hope you love this pasta supper as much as we do! :)