Move over tomato sauce! Pasta with sour cream sauce is in town, and the pasta is calling! Try this for your next pasta supper and get ready to be dishing out seconds.
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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 buttery sour cream and bacon sauce that is going into permanent rotation in our house!
Sweet butter, salty bacon, tangy sour cream, a little bite courtesy of a couple of scallions, and the I-don’t-know-quite-how-to-describe-it taste of some poppy seeds.
It’s a nice change from tomato sauce (which I also love!) and is ready in just about a half hour…let’s bring on the pasta with sour cream sauce!
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Pasta: Any short pasta will work – think penne, elbows, bowties, or my personal favorite, campanelle! These shapes are sturdy enough to hold up this delectable sauce.
- Bacon: We love thick cut bacon for this sauce, but regular works just fine.
- Sour Cream: You can use full fat or low fat, but we don’t recommend non-fat as it isn’t rich enough.
- Scallions: If you have someone who objects to scallions 🙋🏼♀️ parsley is a good sub…or you can just leave them out.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
How to make this recipe
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.
Recipe 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!
Want to round out your meal?
We love us some asparagus with parmesan breadcrumb sauce on the side of this pasta, and roasted green beans are a great addition as well.
And for dessert? How about some jam cake (another recipe that helps me clean out my fridge!)
Other pasta and bacon recipes we love!
Looking for even more pasta inspiration? Here is our complete collection of pasta (and pizza!) recipes!
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.
PrintPasta with Sour Cream Sauce
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.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 8 ounces of bacon, chopped
- 10 ounces short pasta (penne, ziti, etc)
- 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter at room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream at room temperature
- 4 scallions, chopped (or an equal amount of parsley)
- 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
- Pasta: Any short pasta will work – think penne, elbows, bowties, or my personal favorite, campanelle! These shapes are sturdy enough to hold up this delectable sauce.
- Bacon: We love thick cut bacon for this sauce, but regular works just fine.
- Sour Cream: You can use full fat or low fat, but we don’t recommend non-fat as it isn’t rich enough.
- Scallions: If you have someone who objects to scallions 🙋🏼♀️ parsley is a good sub…or you can just leave them out.
Jasmine says
This came out so tasty! The sauce is nice and light and the poppy seeds bring pop the flavors perfectly. Loved it!!
Hi Jasmine! Yes, poppy seeds are magical little things, right? They are also my favorite bagel. :)
Jess says
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! :)
Anne Marie says
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! :)
Robyn says
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! :) :)
Angie says
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!
Anne Marie says
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! :)
Bobbie says
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? :)
Jane says
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!)
Clare says
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!
Bobbie says
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
Lisa says
I let mushrooms and garlic cook in the butter before adding the sour cream. Added a bit of cyan pepper, it was perfect.
KMunoz says
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. :)
Kp2me says
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. :)
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! :)
Stephanie @ Plain Chicken says
YUM! Can’t wait to try this. Pinned!!
Yay! And thanks for the pin – xx
Joanne says
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. :)
Karen @ The Food Charlatan says
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!) :)
Karen Nelson says
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! :)