Pasta with Sour Cream Sauce
This easy pasta with sour cream sauce combines crispy bacon, butter and tangy sour cream for a creamy, comforting supper in just 35 minutes.
Sometimes supper starts with me standing in front of the open refrigerator, wondering what I can make out of a little of this and a little of that. And sometimes that turns into a recipe that the Southern husband asks me to make again. This pasta with sour cream sauce is one of those happy little fridge discoveries!
I had some sour cream, a few scallions, butter and, of course, bacon. There is almost always bacon in my refrigerator. 😊 Toss those goodies with hot pasta and you get a creamy, buttery sauce with a little tang from the sour cream and plenty of crispy bacon in every bite.
A sprinkle of poppy seeds adds a little crunch, and just like that, supper is ready. No separate sauce to fuss over, just a cozy bowl of pasta made with things you might already have on hand. Those are my favorite kinds of kitchen surprises!
Jump to:
- 🔎 A quick look at this recipe
- ⭐️ Why this recipe works
- 🥓 Ingredients you need
- 📝 Ingredient notes
- 💡 Ingredient substitution ideas
- 👩🏻🍳 How to make this recipe
- 🤔 Recipe FAQs
- 🍽️ What to serve with this recipe
- Pasta with Sour Cream Sauce
- 💫 Easy variations
- 😍 Other pasta and bacon recipes we love
- 😃 Could you leave us a review?
- 🥣 Come on into our kitchen!
🔎 A quick look at this recipe
- What It Is: Short pasta tossed with a buttery sour cream sauce, crispy bacon, scallions and poppy seeds.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Servings: 4 servings
- Calories: 524
- Cooking Method: Stovetop
- Good For: Easy weeknight dinners, comfort food cravings and using up leftover sour cream.
⭐️ Why this recipe works
- 🧈 An easy, creamy sauce: Butter and sour cream mingle with the hot pasta to make a silky sauce without a separate saucepan.
- 🥓 Big flavor from simple ingredients: Crispy bacon adds a smoky, salty bite that pairs beautifully with the tangy sour cream.
- 🌿 A little freshness and crunch: Scallions brighten things up, while poppy seeds add a delicate crunch.
- ⏰ Weeknight friendly: Just six ingredients and 35 minutes stand between you and a cozy pasta supper!
🥓 Ingredients you need
📝 Ingredient notes
- Pasta: Short pasta shapes like penne, bowties, elbows or my favorite, campanelle, are perfect for catching this creamy sauce.
- Bacon: Thick-cut bacon gives you hearty, crispy bites, but regular bacon works beautifully too. Drain off the bacon drippings before adding the cooked bacon to your pasta.
- Butter: Let your butter soften to room temperature so it melts easily into the hot pasta.
- Sour Cream: Full-fat sour cream makes the richest sauce, but low-fat will also work. Skip fat-free for this one. Bring it to room temperature so it blends into the pasta more easily.
- Scallions: These add a little fresh onion flavor to balance the creamy sauce. Use both the white and green parts, trimming off the roots. If scallions aren’t your thing, swap in a little chopped fresh parsley or leave them out.
- Poppy Seeds: These add a delicate crunch, but they are optional—your pasta will still be delicious without them!
💡 Ingredient substitution ideas
Missing something or want to swap in something different? Check out the links below to find more ingredient substitution ideas. 👇🏻
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
👩🏻🍳 How to make this recipe
STEP 1: Bring your butter and sour cream to room temperature. Cook the chopped bacon in a skillet until crispy, then transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
STEP 2: Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Before draining, scoop out about ½ cup of the pasta cooking water and set it aside. Drain the pasta and return it to the hot pasta pot.
STEP 3: With the heat off, gently stir the butter and sour cream into the hot pasta until the butter melts and everything is combined. If needed, use the lowest heat setting briefly, stirring constantly—don’t let the sauce boil. Add a splash of the reserved pasta water if you’d like a looser sauce.
STEP 4: Stir in the crispy bacon, sliced scallions (or a little chopped parsley) and optional poppy seeds. Serve right away, on warmed plates if you like!
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.
Nope! Bring them to room temperature first, and the hot pasta will do most of the work. If the butter needs a little help melting, stir briefly over the lowest heat setting. Keep things gentle and don’t let the sauce boil.
Stir in a little reserved pasta cooking water, a splash at a time, until the sauce is the consistency you like. Remember to scoop some out before draining your pasta!
Pop your question in the comments section below and I will answer pronto!
🍽️ What to serve with this recipe
We love a green veggie alongside this creamy pasta! Try our asparagus with Parmesan breadcrumb sauce, or keep things simple with roasted green beans or some carrots with thyme..
And for dessert? A slice of jam cake makes a sweet finish—and helps use up another little something from the fridge! 😊
Let’s grab that sour cream and turn it into a creamy, bacon-filled pasta supper!
Pasta with Sour Cream Sauce
This easy pasta with sour cream sauce combines crispy bacon, butter and tangy sour cream for a creamy, comforting supper in just 35 minutes.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
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8 ounces bacon, chopped
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10 ounces short pasta, such as penne or campanelle
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4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
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1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
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4 scallions, thinly sliced
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1 tablespoon poppy seeds (optional)
Instructions
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Cook the bacon in a skillet until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
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Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and return it to the hot pasta pot.
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With the heat off, gently stir in the butter and sour cream until the butter melts and the pasta is evenly coated. If needed, use the lowest heat setting briefly, stirring constantly. Don’t let the sauce boil.
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Add reserved pasta water a splash at a time if needed to loosen the sauce.
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Stir in the scallions, optional poppy seeds and cooked bacon. Serve immediately, on warmed plates if you like.
Notes
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Pasta: Any short pasta shape will work, including penne, elbows, bowties or campanelle.
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Sour cream: Full-fat makes the richest sauce, but low-fat also works. Fat-free is not recommended.
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Butter and sour cream: Bring both to room temperature so they blend easily into the hot pasta.
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Scallions: Use the white and green parts, discarding the roots. Substitute a little chopped fresh parsley or leave them out.
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Poppy seeds: These add a delicate crunch but are optional.
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💫 Easy variations
- 🫛 Add some veggies: Stir in cooked peas, sautéed mushrooms or a handful of baby spinach. Add the spinach with the sauce so it wilts into the hot pasta.
- 🍗 Make it a little heartier: Add some cooked shredded chicken or cooked shrimp when you stir in the bacon.
- 🌿 Switch up the herbs: Swap the scallions for chopped fresh parsley or chives.
- 🌶️ Give it a little kick: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes for a gentle hint of heat.
😍 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.
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. :)
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! :)
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! :)
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 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! :)
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? :)
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!)
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
I let mushrooms and garlic cook in the butter before adding the sour cream. Added a bit of cyan pepper, it was perfect.
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 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! :)
YUM! Can’t wait to try this. Pinned!!
Yay! And thanks for the pin – xx
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. :)
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!) :)
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! :)