Do you have a favorite chip flavor? When I was a kid my absolute favorite was sour cream and onion. Weird, I know. Everyone else around me was obsessed with barbecue or Doritos but for me it was sour cream and onion all the way. Funny thing is, I haven’t had a sour cream and onion chip in a while. That is, until Mike and I were watching this YouTube show that we love. They did a giant snack bracket competition and the winning snack was sour cream and onion chips!

We had a little conversation about it and somehow Mike came up with the awesome idea of sour cream and onion pasta. What’s funny is that Mike doesn’t even like sour cream and onion. He’s never bought a bag and the most he’s ever had is a chip or two. He’s definitely missing out because sour cream and onion is a perfect combination. After trying this pasta he’s a convert!

Sour Cream and Onion Pasta Recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com

What is sour cream and onion pasta?

Essentially I took all the flavors of sour cream and onion chips and put it into a pasta sauce. Sour cream and onion flavor is literally sour cream and onions so I basically made a bechamel (white sauce) with sour cream and chives stirred in. I had a little mental debate on whether the “onion” in sour cream and onion were onions, green onions, or chives and ultimately I went with chives because they have a more pronounced onion-y flavor. We tested this pasta with green onions too and it tastes just as good but I love the way chives look because they look like baby green onions.

How to make sour cream and onion pasta

1. Cook your pasta. Cook your favorite pasta shape according to the package in boiling salted water.
Sour Cream and Onion Pasta Recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com

2. Make a roux. While your pasta is cooking, make the sour cream and onion sauce by melting some butter in a pan. When the butter is melted, stir in some flour to create a roux (see tips below).
Sour Cream and Onion Pasta Recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com

3. Add milk. When the roux is cooked, stir in the milk and let the sauce thicken.
Sour Cream and Onion Pasta Recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com

4. Add the sour cream. Take the sauce off the heat and stir in the sour cream.
Sour Cream and Onion Pasta Recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com

5. Add the onions. By now your pasta should be done, so drain it and add it to the sauce. Stir in the chives, salt, and pepper, and enjoy!
Sour Cream and Onion Pasta Recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com

How to Make a Roux

The key to a really smooth creamy white sauce (béchamel) is making sure that the roux is well mixed and cooked. When you are adding the flour to the just melted butter, sprinkle it on evenly, instead of just dumping it in a clump in the middle of the pan. Sprinkling the flour ensures that all of the flour kernels are coated with butter which helps them emulsify into the sauce smoothly. When the roux is cooked – it will turn a very slight creamy color, be texture of white sand, and smell a little nutty – it will take about 2 minutes. Using a whisk, it really helps move everything around. A well cooked roux will turn into a beautiful creamy white sauce perfect for pairing with pasta.

Sour Cream and Onion Pasta Recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com

What to serve with sour cream and onion pasta

To be honest we just ate this as is, as a bowl of creamy comforting carbs. But, if you like, you can serve it with:

garlic parmesan knots
focaccia
everything bagel rolls
dijon mustard chicken
garlicky mushrooms
crunchy oven baked pork cutlets
grilled romaine salad
coleslaw

Sour Cream and Onion Pasta Recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com

I hope you give this sour cream and onion pasta a try. I LOVED it. It was so creamy and had the exact flavor of sour cream and onion chips. Next we’re gonna try barbecue chips pasta maybe?!?

sour cream and onion chips forever,
xoxo steph

Sour Cream and Onion Pasta Recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com

Sour Cream and Onion Pasta Recipe

Serves 2
4.73 from 97 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 5 oz pasta
  • 1.5 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup fresh chives sliced
  • salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions

  • Cook the pasta according to the package instructions in a large pot of salted water until al dente.
    Sour Cream and Onion Pasta Recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com
  • Meanwhile, while the pasta is cooking, make the sauce: Melt the butter in a frying pan over low heat. When melted, sprinkle on the flour and stir in, cooking over medium low for 2-3 minutes.
    Sour Cream and Onion Pasta Recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com
  • Slowly stream in the milk while whisking. Whisk until smooth, turning up the heat to medium so that the sauce starts to bubble and thicken.
    Sour Cream and Onion Pasta Recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com
  • When thick, turn off the heat and whisk in the sour cream until smooth.
    Sour Cream and Onion Pasta Recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com
  • When the pasta is done, scoop it out using a slotted spoon into the sauce. Toss to coat until everything is well sauced and glossy. If needed, thin out the sauce slightly with some of the pasta water. Add the chives and mix well. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Enjoy hot!
    Sour Cream and Onion Pasta Recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com

27 Comments

  1. Devan says:

    5 stars
    Hey guys,
    Love this play on sour cream and onion chips but in pasta! Fun and original content :)
    I’m a huge fan of your blog and really love the stuff you guys make.
    Keep on going!

    Sincerely,
    A Canadian Chef in The Netherlands

  2. Cody says:

    Haven’t tried yet but thinking about it.
    I wonder, though, what your thoughts are on making a roux or any milk-based sauce with Lactaid or another lactose-free milk. I tend to find they never quite thicken up – and some recipes don’t work at all with them. Any tips or tricks?
    It’s hard to justify buying “normal” milk for one or two recipes when both of us in the house can’t drink it.

    1. Stephanie says:

      hi cody,
      i did a quick google and it looks like people successfully use milk based sauces with lactose-free milk – i haven’t experimented much with lactaid but i suspect that if you up the ratio of the flour to butter it might help thicken it up. what did the other sauces that didn’t thicken up look like? did they thicken at all or did the milk not whisk in?

      1. Cody says:

        It tends to stay thin. It makes me think about dough with/without gluten and how temperamental it can be if you overwork or underwork or don’t have the right amounts of gluten/yeast/etc.

        I may try again, but play with the ratio like you suggested as well as the heat.

        1. Anissa Alexander says:

          I have found that fairlife, another lactose free milk brand has worked better for me. I find that other lactaid tends to go sweet in my sauces but generally does thicken up. Fairlife doesn’t have this issue, which works when I am making something for family that can’t have lactose.

  3. Parth says:

    there wasn’t any addition of onion in the recipe part
    do we add sautéed onions?

  4. Parth says:

    4 stars
    do we add sautéed onions?

    1. Stephanie says:

      hi parth,
      there are no sautéed onions in this recipe, but that sounds like a great addition. since it’s a take on sour cream and onion chips, the “onions” are actually chives :)

  5. Nicole says:

    5 stars
    I made mine with garlic powder, onion powder, and red pepper flakes. I added chicken and broccoli in there as well as raw green onion. It was really good!

  6. J Cole says:

    Is this recipe suitable for freezing ?

    1. Stephanie says:

      unfortunately the sauce won’t hold well frozen!

  7. Susan Slowes says:

    5 stars
    Delicious recipe! I used non dairy milk and non dairy sour cream and it came out great!

    1. John Eric Hess says:

      Thank you for this comment. I’m looking to make it for my vegan girlfriend and was wondering about how it’d come out.

    2. Jessica says:

      5 stars
      Appreciate this comment! Was hoping to find someone who made it with non-dairy. Will be making tonight for dinner!

  8. Lubica says:

    5 stars
    Just cooked it. It is delicious and easy recipe. Thank you

  9. Kayla says:

    5 stars
    I loved this simple recipe. I made a few changes to ratios, and added some extra veg and chicken to make this a nice complete meal. We have kids with severe lactose intolerance so we are able to make a nice creamy pasta dish with lactose free products with this receipe! :) thanks!

  10. terry wyrostok says:

    5 stars
    Simple and delicious. I used spinach also.

  11. Sarah says:

    5 stars
    Great noodle base. Followed exactly, except i omitted the salt and used unsalted butter. Added onion powder, black pepper,shredded chicken breast and mixed veggies. Very good.

  12. Elisa Hernandez says:

    5 stars
    Super easy to make. I added broccoli and carrots.

  13. Janine says:

    5 stars
    I just made this tonight. I don’t use or buy regular milk so I made it with oat milk and Greek yogurt. I added grilled chicken and sautéed onions. Served with grilled asparagus it was a great hot summer night meal.

  14. David Hudson says:

    What about adding parmesan before serving?

    1. Stephanie says:

      you definitely can add some into the sauce after it’s thickened!

  15. Jenn says:

    5 stars
    This is pretty good! For more protein, I fried chicken in cajun seasoning. Goes well with this sauce.

  16. James says:

    Gonna try this, it looks delicious and I also love sour cream and onion chips. Would ready made bechamel work? Or is it better to be made?

    1. Stephanie says:

      i haven’t tried with ready made béchamel, i would just make the recipe as is :)

  17. Jessica says:

    5 stars
    Love this! I made it for dinner a few nights ago and making it again this week! I used almond milk and green onions. I also added some garlic powder into it. We used pasta we had on hand which was spaghetti, will be using penne this week to see how it is. Spaghetti wasn’t a bad pasta to use. I used may be 3/4 cup of water as well but I used way more than 5oz of pasta, but it did not lose flavor or dim it down at all!
    This will become a staple, honestly tastes better leftover and reheated. I think the green onions really permeated the sauce the more it sat and soften up. A few days afterwards was the best! I always wonder what to do with barely used sour cream and it goes to waste half the time.

  18. E.A. says:

    5 stars
    I just came home from a trip and found myself with no veg in the fridge except some Italian torpedo onions which have gorgeous green stems albeit a bit tough, so I sliced them and boiled them along with the pasta to soften them, and then made this recipe with some additional seasonings in the sauce (Worcestershire sauce, MSG, garlic and onion powder, drop of mustard), and it was so moreish! Will def be a regular when I’m down to pantry staples in the future, and might try it with some chive cream cheese mixed in as well!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Did you make this recipe?

Share it on instagram and tag it #iamafoodblog. If you'd like to leave a rating without leaving a comment, you can do so by clicking the stars underneath the recipe name.

Thanks for reading as always!
-Steph & Mike