Creme Fraiche Pasta Recipe (Ultra Creamy)

This creme fraiche pasta recipe is loaded with mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes & pecorino for the creamiest sauce ready in no more than 15 minutes. Pasta with creme fraiche actually reminds me of my Creamy Mushroom Toast, so if you love this sauce, you should give that a try too!

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Fast: Whipped up in under 20 minutes, this creme fraiche pasta recipe makes for a perfect vegetarian weeknight dinner. Try this Creamy Gochujang Pasta when you want something different but just as quick.
• Comforting: I love using creme fraiche as the creamy element in this pasta creme fraiche and so many other dishes. It has a subtle tang/acidity to it that balances the rich and creamy overtones of a comforting recipe, without being too heavy/rich. 
• Secret ingredient: When researching cream sauces for pasta, I was looking at a way to differentiate this recipe with other creme fraiche pastas. Sun-dried tomatoes are always a winning combo when paired with a creamy sauce, so they quickly became a must with this pasta with creme fraiche. 

If you love creamy pasta, you’ll need to try my High Protein Cottage Cheese Pasta, One Pan Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta or Creamy Chorizo Pasta. 

Ingredients for Creme Fraiche Pasta

• Creme fraiche: I use standard creme fraiche for this recipe for the creamiest sauce, but you could definitely use reduced fat as we use pecorino to thicken the creamy sauce too. 
• Sun-dried tomatoes: I love the flavour and texture that’s created after frying them off for a few minutes. They caramelise almost to the point where it feels like a delicious bacon substitute which works perfectly in creme fraiche pasta recipes. 
• Pecorino: A salty, decadent, umami-packed cheese that pairs perfectly in this creme fraiche mushroom pasta, like it does in my Steak Pasta with Creamy Sauce.

See the recipe card for full information on all ingredients and quantities.

Variations/ Adaptations

• Top with crispy bacon bits: I opted for a vegetarian easy cream sauce for pasta, but you could deffo add bacon into step 1 if you’re missing it! My Crispy Bacon in Air Fryer method works a treat here.”
• Try a different pasta: Pasta shells would also work fabulously, as shells are great for scooping up the sauce in pasta recipes with creme fraiche. 
• Use peas, asparagus, or broccoli: As mentioned above, you can customise this creme fraiche pasta sauce by adding your family’s favourite veg or use up whatever you have laying around in the fridge. 
• Add chili flakes: A welcome addition of heat to contrast with the creamy sauce in this pasta recipe with creme fraiche (if you can take it!). My Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta is a great option too.

How to make this easy creme fraiche pasta

1. Start by slicing the mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes into bite size pieces (Image 1).
2. Then add the mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes and oil into a frying pan over a high heat (Image 2).

3. Leave to brown for 4 minutes, then stir and continue to fry for a further 4 minutes. When your mushrooms have browned and the sun-dried tomatoes are getting crispy, remove a third to have as a garnish. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic and lemon zest and fry for 2 minutes (Image 3).

4. During this time, add the rigatoni to heavily salted boiling water. Set your timer to the packet time minus 2 minutes (Image 4).

5. Then add the creme fraiche and spinach to the pan (Image 5).

6. Once heated through, slowly add two ladles of pasta water whilst continuously stirring. Season with salt and lots of pepper, then add the spinach and stir together until the spinach has wilted (Image 6).

7. Transfer the al dente pasta into the sauce with a few ladles of pasta water. Add the pecorino at this stage and stir to combine, cook over a low heat (Image 7).

8. Add more pasta water, stir to combine and cook off as necessary until you have a thick and creamy sauce (this should only take a minute or two). Season with lots of pepper and top with the reserved mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. Enjoy! (Image 8).

Satisfy creamy pasta cravings with these other recipes: The Best Ground Turkey Pasta, Sausage and Fennel Pasta and Creamy Bacon Pasta.

Why use creme fraiche?

What is creme fraiche?
Crème fraîche is a thick, creamy dairy product made by adding a fermenting agent to heavy cream. It has a rich, tangy flavor and a velvety texture, similar to sour cream but less tangy and more subtle in taste.

Why use it?
You might notice that when using cream or rich ingredients, we often pair it with an acidic ingredient to balance the richness (like lemon juice or white wine vinegar). With creme fraiche though, it already has a mild tang to it which balances the fat/flavour perfectly. For this reason, you could omit the lemon juice from this recipe. 

Is creme fraiche just sour cream?
No – creme fraiche isn’t as tangy or acidic. It’s more subtle and is also thicker in texture.

How to keep creme fraiche from splitting

The reason that creme fraiche splits is that you’re adding a liquid into a fat. When doing this, you need to emulsify the liquid so that it doesn’t split. 

To do this, we add the creme fraiche into the pan first which will bring up the temperature of the creme fraiche, tempering it. Next, slowly add the pasta water whilst continuously stirring. This will ensure that it combines with the fat slowly, preventing the split.

Splitting usually occurs when you add cold creme fraiche, straight into a pan filled with a liquid.

Serving Suggestions

This creme fraiche in pasta dish is filling on its own, but I always like something simple on the side. For some carbs to soak up any leftover sauce in the bowl, my Frozen Garlic Bread in Air Fryer takes 8 minutes flat. For some crunch, my Air Fryer Frozen Green Beans or Roasted Tenderstem Broccoli both work well here, the garlic in each ties in nicely with the pasta.

If you’re feeding more people, my Parmentier Potatoes add some crispy contrast. Or keep it light with my Green Goddess Salad, or my Rocket Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes to use up those extra sundried tomatoes.

Leftover Storage and Reheat Instructions

Refrigerate – Store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Creme fraiche in pasta sauce can go bad quickly so I’d not keep it longer than that.

Freezer – If you want to meal prep and freeze this recipe, I would suggest making the sauce and freezing that separately. Then when you’re ready to eat the creme fraiche pasta, you defrost the sauce in the fridge overnight, then cook a few portions of pasta and combine. 

Reheat – Add a serving of pasta into a microwave safe dish. Add 1 tbsp of just boiled water into the dish then cook in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir to loosen the sauce, then cook for another minute in the microwave. 

Creme Fraiche Pasta FAQs

Pair this creme fraiche pasta with one of these tasty side dishes: Air fryer Zucchini Fries, Shredded Chicken and Sauteed Broccoli.