Strawberry Sour Cream Pasta (Print Version)

Al dente pasta coated in a sweet-tangy strawberry cream sauce with fresh basil and optional pine nuts.

# Components:

→ 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 sour cream, full-fat preferred

→ 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 directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining. Set pasta aside.
02 - In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes until strawberries soften and release juice but maintain some texture.
03 - Remove saucepan from heat and let mixture cool for 2 to 3 minutes. Fold in sour cream gently until sauce is smooth and uniformly pink. Adjust seasoning as needed.
04 - Add drained pasta to the saucepan with strawberry-sour cream sauce. Toss gently to coat evenly, adding reserved pasta water one tablespoon at a time if sauce requires thinning.
05 - Divide pasta into serving plates. Garnish with fresh basil leaves, toasted pine nuts, and extra sliced strawberries as desired. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's weird in exactly the right way—your guests will taste it and pause before asking what's in it.
  • Takes less time than deciding what to order, and tastes like you actually tried.
  • Sweet, tangy, creamy, and somehow fresh all at once, like eating at a restaurant made of strawberries.
02 -
  • If you add the sour cream while the strawberries are still steaming hot, it might separate—let them cool for just a minute first.
  • Don't drain your pasta water and throw it away; that starchy liquid is what makes a loose sauce cling to the noodles instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
03 -
  • Slice your basil by stacking the leaves, rolling them tightly, then slicing thin (chiffonade)—it bruises less and looks intentional.
  • If you can't find full-fat sour cream, don't substitute with yogurt; the texture won't be the same, and it'll taste too sharp.
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