Save to Pinterest I stumbled onto this dish completely by accident one July afternoon when I had a surplus of strawberries from the farmer's market and leftover sour cream that needed rescuing. There was something about the ruby-red berries and that tangy cream sitting side by side on my counter that just clicked, and I wondered what would happen if I treated them like a sauce. The first bite was a small revelation: sweet, tart, creamy, and somehow exactly what summer pasta should taste like but never is.
My neighbor brought over her daughter one evening, and I threw this together on a whim because the kitchen felt too quiet for fancy cooking. Watching that kid's face when she took the first forkful—confused for half a second, then completely won over—that's when I knew this wasn't just a kitchen experiment anymore. It became the thing I make when I want to show someone that food doesn't have to follow the rules to be exactly right.
Ingredients
- Farfalle or penne pasta (12 oz): The little shapes catch the sauce in all their corners, so skip long noodles here; they'll just slip right through.
- Fresh strawberries (2 cups, hulled and sliced): Use the ripest ones you can find because underripe berries won't cook down into anything special, and this sauce lives or dies by berry quality.
- Sour cream (3/4 cup, full-fat): Full-fat is not negotiable—it's the difference between silky sauce and separated disappointment.
- Granulated sugar (2 tbsp): This isn't about making it dessert; it's about coaxing out the strawberries' natural depth.
- Fresh lemon juice and zest (1 tbsp juice, 1 tsp zest): Lemon is your secret weapon here, cutting through the richness and making everything taste brighter.
- Salt and black pepper (1/4 tsp each): These quiet ingredients matter more than you'd think in a fruit sauce.
- Fresh basil (1/4 cup, thinly sliced): Don't use dried; it'll taste like perfume instead of garden.
- Toasted pine nuts and extra strawberries (optional): These are the flourishes that turn casual dinner into something memorable.
Instructions
- Get the water ready and cook the pasta:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil—it should taste like the sea—then add your pasta and stir it right away so nothing sticks. Cook until it's just tender enough to bite without resistance, usually a minute or two before the package says. Before draining, scoop out 1/2 cup of that starchy cooking water; it's liquid gold for loosening the sauce later.
- Build the strawberry base:
- While the pasta finishes, put your sliced strawberries into a medium saucepan with sugar, lemon juice, zest, salt, and pepper over medium heat. Stir occasionally and watch as the berries soften and their juices collect at the bottom—this should take about 5 to 7 minutes. You want them broken down but not completely dissolved; a little texture keeps things interesting.
- Fold in the cream gently:
- Marry the pasta and sauce:
- Take the hot drained pasta and add it directly to the strawberry mixture, then toss everything together slowly and deliberately. If the sauce looks too thick, add your reserved pasta water a tablespoon at a time until it coats the noodles with a light, glossy finish. Taste it now and adjust anything that feels off.
- Plate and garnish with intention:
- Divide the pasta among your plates while it's still warm, then scatter basil across the top and add pine nuts if you have them. A few extra strawberry slices on top aren't just decoration—they're a reminder of what makes this dish special.
Save to Pinterest There's a moment when you first taste this where your brain catches up to your mouth and realizes fruit and cream belong on pasta in ways that chocolate and chili taught us were possible. It stops being weird and becomes inevitable, like it was always supposed to exist but nobody bothered to make it until now.
Variations and Swaps
The beauty of this dish is how forgiving it is with substitutions. Ricotta works instead of sour cream if you want something milder and less sharp, though you'll lose that tangy edge that makes the strawberries sing. Greek yogurt is a decent stand-in if that's what lives in your fridge, though it's slightly firmer so add your pasta water more slowly. For a vegan version, use a full-fat coconut cream or a quality cashew cream; both carry the sauce beautifully without the dairy tang, which means you might want to up the lemon juice slightly to compensate.
Wine and Table Pairing
This dish pairs best with wines that have enough acidity to dance with the strawberries and cream without getting heavy. A crisp Sauvignon Blanc cuts through everything like a knife and makes each bite feel lighter, while a chilled dry rosé echoes the strawberry color on your plate and feels like summer in a glass. If you're somewhere cold and want to defy the season, a slightly chilled Pinot Grigio works too—just avoid anything oak-heavy or oaky, which will drown out the delicate fruit flavors you worked to build.
Kitchen Lessons and Final Wisdom
Making this dish taught me that texture matters as much as flavor, and that cooling the strawberry sauce slightly before adding the sour cream is the difference between success and separation. It also showed me that the best recipes sometimes come from standing in front of the fridge with no plan and a willingness to follow your instincts, even when they sound a little strange to say out loud.
- If strawberries are out of season or mediocre, this dish won't save them—pick the best fruit you can find or wait for a better day.
- You can make the strawberry sauce hours ahead and fold in the sour cream just before serving if you want to get ahead.
- Chili flakes scattered on top add a whisper of heat that nobody expects but everyone remembers.
Save to Pinterest This pasta is proof that the best discoveries happen when you stop looking for permission to break the rules. It's become one of those dishes I make when I want to remember why I love cooking in the first place.
Recipe FAQs
- → What pasta types work best with this sauce?
Medium shapes like farfalle or penne hold the sauce well, balancing texture and flavor.
- → Can I prepare the strawberry sauce ahead of time?
Yes, the sauce can be made in advance and gently reheated before mixing with pasta, preserving its creamy texture.
- → How can I make this dish vegan-friendly?
Substitute the sour cream with a plant-based alternative like coconut or cashew cream for similar richness.
- → What garnishes enhance the flavor?
Fresh basil adds herbaceous brightness, while toasted pine nuts contribute a subtle crunch and nuttiness.
- → Is this pasta suitable for warm weather meals?
Absolutely, the fresh strawberry and lemon notes make it light and refreshing, ideal for summer dining.