The Simple Addition That Gives Your Pasta's Cream Sauce A Tangy Kick

Perhaps the only thing more comforting than a simple dish of pasta is a dish of creamy pasta. There's something about that combination of toothsome carbs and silky sauce that can take your dish to next-level deliciousness. But if you thought your creamy pasta couldn't be made any better, we challenge you to add a simple, easily sourced ingredient that you may already have in your fridge: Sour cream.

If you're accustomed to reaching for heavy cream or half and half for creamy sauces like Alfredo, this simple addition will not only add a richness you can't quite achieve with liquid dairy but also bring a touch of tanginess to the table. In a decadent cream sauce, this adds a new dimension, creating a more complex version of your favorite classic. The slight spin on the flavor profile also opens you up to other inspirations, so you can even create your own custom sour cream pasta sauces that require almost zero extra effort. All you need is to reach for a tub on your next shopping trip.

If you already know the reason you should add sour cream to your mac and cheese, you might understand why this ingredient can easily translate to other pasta dishes. Sour cream is simply a pasteurized cream that has been inoculated with lactic acid bacteria and left to ferment. The result of that process is a thickened product with a pleasant tanginess thanks to those added cultures.

The acidity of sour cream is extra useful in a creamy pasta since it can help cut through some of the richness that can weigh heavily on your palate, and bring it into balance. Similar to salt, acid can also boost other flavors in your sauce, and since fat is a flavor carrier too, sour cream manages to be useful on multiple culinary levels.

Not all sour creams are created equal, so you may wind up with an option that's slightly different in taste (more or less sour), or consistency. Low fat sour creams will be thinner, for example, so how much you use will depend on your preference of flavor and thickness, and you can sample some different sour cream products along with your recipe experiments.

This sour cream advice is super versatile, but to start out you can try a familiar creamy chicken Alfredo pasta recipe. In this application, by using about equal parts sour cream and half and half, you can create a version of this classic sauce that feels more balanced and nuanced. Sour flavors also pair well with elements like salty, savory parmesan cheese, so the interplay between those ingredients ensures that your dish is compelling bite after bite.

In another creamy favorite, penne alla vodka, sour cream complements the tang of tomatoes while contrasting their concentrated sweetness, all while boosting that aromatic, onion-y goodness. Sour cream is welcoming of so many flavors, so you can take inspiration from your go-to spices (try paprika or nutmeg, the latter of which may already be the key to the best fettuccine Alfredo), herbs like chives or basil, or other familiar flavor combos like lemon and garlic. You can even pop in a bit of protein with savory bacon pieces, veggies like mushrooms or spinach, or opt for a cold pasta salad that boasts a tantalizing tanginess. No matter which direction you take, this easy addition will make any of your favorite creamy pastas a little more lively and balanced.