Sour Cream Tomato Sauce Pasta

My Sour Cream Tomato Sauce Pasta has been a go-to main course for my family for years whenever I don’t have anything else planned. The taste is seriously amazing – and amazingly simple!! What’s amazing about it is that the tomatoes, which are still slightly chunky become a thick, velvety, and creamy tomato pasta sauce.

I warn you, you will want to lock the doors, grab a spoon, and eat this tomato cream sauce straight from the pan (not because I’ve done that or anything😳). But I recommend that you mix it with a Rotini or Fusilli pasta that can hold all of that delicious sauce in the spiral grooves and enjoy it with your family.

Just a few Simple Ingredients for this Sour Cream Tomato Sauce Dinner!

• Canned Whole Peeled Tomatoes – I used San Marzano whole tomatoes for this recipe and then crushed them in my fingers before adding them. You can also use diced tomatoes. If you want to substitute in a premade pasta sauce or marinara sauce, you can definitely do that. Just make sure to taste for salt and adjust as needed.
• Cloves garlic – Fresh is best when it comes to garlic. The great thing in this recipe is that you just need to peel it. The food processor does the rest. But you can buy pre-minced garlic to save time or mince it in bulk and freeze it for use when you need it! You can also substitute in dried garlic flakes or garlic powder.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – You can substitute with any neutral oil, such as vegetable oil, avocado oil, or even coconut oil.
• Sour Cream – Sour Cream is really the star in this particular recipe. However, if you don’t want to or have it to use, then you can substitute with coconut milk, greek yogurt, or marscapone. All of these options may make it a thinner consistency, so you may need to mix in a second tablespoon of cornstarch.
• Vegetable Base – I love the depth of flavor that you get without having to add a lot of extra liquid. You can substitute with chicken base, beef base, or garlic base. You can also crush a bouillon cube and add it, just make sure that it completely dissolves.
• Cornstarch – Cornstarch is add to the sauce to help thicken it since this is such a quick cooking recipe. You don’t have to thicken the sauce if you don’t have cornstarch. You can leave it a bit thinner or you can cook it for longer to let it thicken naturally.
• Fresh Basil – Basil really is the ideal fresh herb for this recipe. However, if you don’t have it, you can use fresh parsley leaves for the freshness.
• Salt and Ground Black Pepper – these are added to taste and can be coarse or fine.
• Uncooked Fusilli pasta – You can use any short cut pasta or long cut pasta.

This Sour Cream Tomato Sauce Pasta is Such an Easy Recipe!

Honestly, this recipe is so simple that there really is very little to prep ahead. But, every little bit helps, right? So, here are the steps you can do the day(s) in advance and store in the fridge.

Mince 1 garlic clove and store in a small container or storage bag.

Open the can of San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes and crush the tomatoes with your fingers into a storage container or bag. Pour in the remaining sauce from the can and store crushed tomatoes and sauce in the fridge.

Into a small bowl, add the sour cream, the Vegetable Base, and cornstarch and mix to combine. Seal the bowl with plastic wrap or cover with lid and store in the fridge.

Easy Cooking Steps for Tomato Cream Sauce Pasta

Now comes the EASIEST dinner you’ve ever put together (not counting delivery;)).

Cook the Rotini or Fusilli pasta according to package instructions. I use Gluten-Free Rotini pasta in this dish, but use your favorite!

Saute the garlic in a preheated large skillet with olive oil, add the tomatoes, stir with the garlic and cook on medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Next whisk in the sour cream, vegetable base, and cornstarch mixture. Cook for another 5 minutes until the sauce thickens and starts to bubble (lightly cover with aluminum foil if it starts to splatter).

Last, add in the basil and the pasta and stir to completely combine.

Serve on a plate or in a bowl and garnish with basil and grated parmesan cheese (if you like)!

Enjoy!!

Want More Super Easy Dinner Recipes under 30 Minutes to Prepare?

Of course you want 30 minutes or less recipes! You are busy and some nights require FAST dinners. So, my first recommendation is this easy  Kid-Friendly Creamy Pasta Primavera Recipe. It comes together in 30 minutes and is truly a delicious meal. Next, we have my  Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes and Basil Pasta, which is bright and delicious and very easy to prep ahead and make on a business weeknight. Or how about  Stove Top Easy Tuna Casserole with Pimiento? This is a dish from my childhood that’s been updated, but is still incredibly easy and comes together in 30 minutes.

Sour Cream Tomato Sauce Pasta FAQs

What Pasta is best to use for this recipe?

For this Sour Cream Tomato Sauce, I recommend a short cut pasta with places for the sauce to creep into, like a fusilli, rotini, campanelle, penne, farfalle, or even elbow. Of course, if you only have long pasta on hand, like spaghetti or linguine, any pasta will work! You can use either dry or fresh pasta, but I find that if you are making this ahead and reheating it, then a dry short cut pasta will hold up best during the reheating.

What protein is best to add to this?

You could cut chicken breast into bite-size cubes and cook it in the pan and then transfer it to a plate before making the sauce. Then add the chicken bak into the sauce at the end. You could do the same method with shrimp. You could also use a chickpea-based pasta in this, which will give you lots of protein!

Can I freeze this sauce?

If you want to make this ahead and freeze, my recommendation is to leave the sour cream out until you thaw the sauce and reheat it. When you reheat it, do so in a skillet over medium heat. While the sauce is reheating, follow Step 3 in the Prep Ahead Steps and then Steps 3-5 in the Cooking Steps.